So the hike is over, and we are transitioning into another month and preparing for new and unknown ministries in Morocco. This week we are in Mijas, a tourist town in southern Spain that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea having debrief before crossing over to northern Africa.
Travel from Santiago to Mijas would present an unexpected opportunity for building new friendships and seeing how God provides. With the nature of bus routes and cost efficiency, my team had a 33 hour layover in Madrid. We planned to sleep in the bus station and spend the next day walking around Madrid. Unfortunately the bus station closed at 11, so we walked to a nearby 24 hour McDonald’s and figured that we could just stay up all night eating French fries and milkshakes…but at 12 the seating area of McDonald’s closed and we were left sitting on the side of the road with all of our stuff in the middle of the college bar/nightlife section of Madrid.
Somewhere around 1 or 2 in the morning, a girl stopped and looked at us, “What are you all doing out here?” We began talking about our trip and ended up hanging out until 4 in the morning with this welcoming stranger. Her name was Marta, and when she heard that we were Christians she got very excited and said that she is a Christian too! She explained that her family is Catholic and told us about how Jesus had changed the lives of her parents and had done the same for her. She is part of a movement in Madrid of many young people who give their time to help the homeless population and reach people who struggle with addiction. She let us pile all of our bags in her car and walked around with us for a while, and before she left she offered to pick us up in the morning for breakfast.
The next morning around 9 am there she was, in a van big enough for us and all of our things. She took us to breakfast and then offered to hold onto our things so that we could walk freely around the city. We ventured about and saw all of the sights and then she came to pick us up around 9 pm and took us to her home for dinner. At dinner we met her friends and family. They all wanted to ask questions about our trip, how we were called to the mission field, what we did back home, etc.
Dinner was delicious of course, and the conversation was rich. We went around the table talking about how we were called to the mission field. My teammates each gave accounts of how God had worked in their lives and had spoken to them and shown them that this is where they needed to be. I gave a short, simple answer about applying to medical school, not getting in, then applying for this trip. I made a joke about the interview process, to create just enough laughter that I would not have to get into deep conversation about God and His work in my life. I am sure that my discomfort with certain spiritual conversations has shown through at this point, but others on my team were not afraid to give God all of the credit for where they are and what they are doing.
As the night went on, more questions arose. “You keep saying that God called you to this, but how do you know that it wasn’t just your own thoughts or desires?” At this point I was sitting back allowing the other members of the team to answer, and as usual, they stepped right up to the plate and spoke directly about the signs they had been given and the different ways that God speaks and they ways that we hear His direction for our lives. My comfort level consistently decreased throughout the conversation as I was thinking, “these people think we sound crazy, like some wild religious cooks.”
I was wrong.
Another question was asked, “You all left your jobs and responsibilities for 11 months, so how do you know that you are called here, and that you are not just running away from what you are doing back home?” As two of my teammates gave their answers to this question I looked up at one of Marta’s friends; tears were streaming down her face as she listened to each testimony. She later explained that she has been feeling a calling to be a missionary in Iraq for some time now. She has just finished with her studies at the University and is about to start in the workforce. She said that she has often told herself that the feeling she has about the mission field is just her wanting to escape the work that she has studied for in Spain, but that listening to us talk about the way God moves, she now knows that it is Him calling her into the mission field. She was crying as she thanked us for being so open about God speaking into our lives and inspiring her to follow the calling that she has.
I sat there in awe, and a bit of disappointment. Awe of how my teammates so boldly spoke, and how God used their stories to confirm His plans for this young lady’s life. Disappointment that I allowed my doubts and fears to prevent me from recognizing God’s calling in my life and sharing with the same boldness.
I have recognized from the beginning that I am very skeptical, I think logically and doubt everything that I hear about God working in the world today. Instead of living in this doubt, however, I am choosing to dive into the things that I am most skeptical about. One of my teammates challenged me at the beginning of this month, that when I hear something and my first thought is, “there is no way that is true,” to say a simple prayer, “God, prove me wrong.” And then I will wait and see if He does.
I did not come on this trip because I want to prove that God is not real or that the stories people tell are not true. I came because I want my faith to grow, and I want to see that His power is real and that He is alive and active today. So far, He has shown up every time.
James 1:2-6 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
