Haiti came and Haiti went. October was a full month. From the first day to the last, this was a month that was busy with adventures waiting around every corner. More than adventures though, this month had lessons in abundance.
My team was placed at a sports camp in a bay off the Caribbean Ocean outside the town of Les Cayes. We arrived in paradise the first night. We unloaded our bags in rooms full of beds decorated with matching sheets ready for our long month spent soaking in blessings of plenty. We inhaled the smell of a dinner that was anticipating our consumption as we relaxed our achy bodies from the bus ride on comfy couches. Falling asleep that night to the sound of the ocean lapping the beach outside of our windows would never prepare us for what God had in store for us along that sandy shoreline.
Waking from our slumber we awaited the news of what our ministry would be for the month. Ministries, for the world race, range from bar outreach to orphanage loving to physical labor to prayer walks. Anything goes for a group of 60 some young adults who have no agenda other that to serve and love the Lord’s people in nations around the world. So, for team Ahava, the month of October was spent…painting a fence!
Yes, simple. But, Oh so much more!
In the midst of a monotonous job for the span of the month, God taught me big things. We didn’t JUST paint a fence.
We learned about ourselves. We learned about a BIG God.
The fence was a representation of:
· Perseverance
· Dependence on God
· Faith
· Strength in Christ
· Breaking Chains
· Determination
· Faithfulness
· Prayer
Most importantly, the fence showed me what a prayer warrior could look like. Literally. God gave me a vision of the fence one night during team time.
The same fence that I spent day in and day out slaving to paint was the fence that would beckon me to see it in a different light.
My vision cast a new outlook on the fence. We were not just painting a fence to get paint on it. We were not just painting a fence to keep away the rust. We were not just painting a fence to keep busy during the day. Oh no, it was more than that!
We were setting up a DEFENSE. We would leave each section white washed with paint but also with an angel standing to defend this camp for Christ.
We were fighting in the Lord’s Army for the attacks that would come on this camp in the future. We set up the defense and called it good in the name of Jesus!
