Currently, I am sitting in my apartment, snuggled in my blanket, while sitting on my air mattress surrounded by eight teammates. Here we go again, another month of small spaces and sharing one room with the whole team! I cant help but find joy in this chaotic mess. It reminds me everyday of what it looks like to lay down my own preferences to serve the women around me. We have now entered our second week of M in our new country of Kazakhstan. I am overly amazed of how much our host does for his community.
Just the other day, I was sitting in church taking in my new home. I was in awh of everything that was happening around me. People were praising J with the most joyful spirit I have ever seen. I was watching their worship band play and the people of the church dance and celebrate J. It was cool to see that the worship team consisted of all generations from the church. Halfway through the worship set, my heart was overwhelmed with joy. All it took was one look from the pastor to the two youth boys. One simple look said so much. The pastor was so proud of these boys and how far they have come.
Just the day before my team and I got to attend the youth night. During our time there we got to hear three of the boys, around age 15, tell there testimonies and the way God touched there lives. Listening to the stories of how alcohol had ripped there families apart just broke my heart. No child should be responsible for taking care of their mom, after their mom chose to drink so much that she couldn’t function. No child should have to be ripped apart from a parent for a year so that the parent can go to rehab. It heart breaking to see a town driven by alcohol abuse. I love that the P has help set up a such a peaceful community that the members of the C feel safe in there brokenness and not feel judged. These boys look up to their P in ways that I haven’t really experienced before.
Besides working with the youth, the P wares many other hats. My team and I have been able to serve beside him this last week. G has given this P a vision for this community. I love that it is not just for the Ch but he is also calling the community to be higher. The L is using him to provide a safe haven for so many people. He uses the church to help meet the basic needs of the homeless through food and tea. He then takes food out to the “dump” where he said, “people go there to die” and then heads out to a village near by where he runs a rehab center for men. The pastor lives out the Christian walk daily. He chooses to serve the broken and the least of us because that’s what God has laid so deeply on his heart.
I am completely amazed by what this guy does. After observing him throughout the week I have a better idea of what it looks like to love the people around me. I have been able to see if done on a physical level and on a spiritual level!
Lacy Jolene
