On the world race there are days that are deemed travel days and off days. These days are not considered minsistry days. We are not required to work with the people or do this and that. However, the reality is that every day is considered a ministry day because our ministry as Christians is wherever we are and with whomever we meet.
There have been two instances where both a travel day and an off day became a greater ministry day to me than our actual ministry itself. I believe they stood out to me more because they came unexpectedly and by surprise. Even when we do not see the big picture God does. He always has greater plans for us wherever we are. I do not believe things happen by coincidence or by accident especially the two stories I am about to tell you.
TAXI SERVICE
The first one happened on an off day in Bolivia. It was a Sunday afternoon and I did not have the time the day before to go to an internet cafe. So I gathered a small group to go. Sunday morning I awoke with an unsettling feeling in my stomach. Our squad had already been through the rounds of multiple people being sick. Despite not feeling superb I was determined to go to the internet cafe so I could message my mom.
The longer we were there the worse I felt. I pushed through the pain and discomfort and continued to message my mom. Again, minute by minute I felt worse. A nauseous feeling was overwhelming my body and I began to quiver and not because of the cold breeze blowing through the building where I sat.
After a few hours of being in Coroico our group finally got back together in order to head back to the camp where we were ministering for the month. It was already a busy Sunday evening with many events happening and boisterous people and we had to be back before dark just to better ensure our safety on the way back down the mountain.
There were no buses going back down the mountain as we searched up and down the streets. They are the cheaper way to go. There were two taxi cars sitting along the street. One had people getting into it and there was only one left. Needing to make it back in time we rushed to the taxi. I negotiated a price with him and he was willing to take us back to campground thirty minutes away.
I sat in the front seat as the others sat in the back. I was still feeling nauseous and dreading the ride down the curvy road of the mountain. Our driver was a speed demon and I believe he deemed it necessary to go down the mountain as fast as he could which did not make it well for me. Alice, Vashti, Anna, and Kaiulani sat in the back prayed for me. They prayed I would not be sick on the ride and God would take away the sickness I was feeling.
A couple minutes after they prayed I felt a push and an urge to talk to the taxi driver. I did not feel up to it but I felt it was what I needed to do. As soon as I spoke my first words to him all my pain and sick feelings went away in an instant.
Our driver’s name was Oscar. He was from a nearby village where we were staying. He asked what we were doing in the area. I told him about The World Race. “So you are missionaries?” he asked. “Yes.” I answered. “So you are Christians?” he asked. “Yes.” I answered.This tidbit of information opened a whole floodgate of questions.
He asked me how one comes to know God. He asked how someone can talk to God, how to pray, where to pray, and when to pray. Words that I felt like I had forgotten in Spanish were coming back to me. We talked the full thirty to forty minute ride. I paused a few moments to tell my squadmates what was happening and what we were talking about. So they began to pray for him.
As I continued my conversation with Oscar he seemed more and more astonished that he could communicate with God and have a relationship with Him for free. He was astonished that it was a free gift made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He was astonished that no matter what he did in the past or was currently doing could separate him from God. He was astonished that he did not have to fix his problems before coming to God because God wants us to cast our cares on Him and allow Him to make the change in our lives.
As we arrived to our destination I said a last few words to Oscar and prayed with him. I got his phone number to give to our ministry contact, Hermano Lucho, so that he would have someone in the area to stay in contact with and someone who could encourage him as well in a relationship with Christ.
It was one of the most exciting conversations I have ever had and an unexpected one at that. I wanted to stay and chat but knew that we both had places to go. I stepped out of the car as the others waited on me and as soon as I closed the door all the pain and sickness I felt before the beginning of my conversation with Oscar came flooding back.
You can not tell me that it was something in my head or that the conversation merely distracted me from my physical state because I know without a doubt that there was a reason that all the buses were gone and only one taxi available. God wanted us in that taxi despite how much it cost us.
He took away my pain and sickness temporarily in order to share with one man how much He cares for him and how much He desperately wants a relationship with him.
Bus Ride to Tarma
Our team was on our way from Lima to Tarma. It was about an eight hour bus ride. Across the row from Christina and Jen sat a little boy who was eight years old. His name was Christian. He was such a cute little boy. You could tell by looking at him, however, something was wrong with his eyes.
It did not take long for Christian to steal our hearts and to wiggle his way to our seats. He watched Jen’s dolphin videos, took hundreds of pictures with Deborah’s phone, and stayed in my lap for a long while admiring the view from the front row where I sat.
Jen and Christina had found PB&J ingredients while we were in La Paz. They made Christian a sandwich and it was his very first time to have a PB&J sandwich. He was very excited and thought it to be very delicious.
Soon thereafter I was able to talk with his mother. She was a sweet lady. They were going on vacation with Merced as their destination. After a few minutes of talking with her and describing what we were doing in Peru she said she too was a Christian. She told me that Christian has very bad eyesight and there is a possibility he could lose his sight and she asked if we would pray for him.
I went back to my seat and told the team what his mother had said. So I sat Christian in my lap and his mother came up. We placed our hands upon him as Alice and I prayed over him. We prayed for healing because no little boy should lose his sight. I also prayed he would be brought up in the Lord, do great things because of his faith, and that God would work miracles in his life.
Christian and I sang a well known kid’s song in Spanish that says, “I have a friend that loves me. His name is Jesus.” I will never forget that little boy and the joy he had despite the condition of his eyes.
The Outcome
I do not know if Oscar’s life has changed or if he has come to know the Lord. He might have that day or it might not happen for another five years. I do not know if Christian will receive healing or lose his sight. I have only been given the gift of ministering to them in the short time I was with them.
God wants to flood people with His love and He wants to use us to share that love He so freely and willingly gives. We do not always see the final outcome of our conversations and prayers, but we should remember they were never in vain because God used that opportunity for us to show His love.
