Our host ask if we need to go use the rest room and here comes God, tell him after your done. Sir!!! my bladder, you know the thing you created me is full but fine. so one hour turned into two and after selfies, dances and laughter it was finally time to go unload our very full bladder.
we went with this beautiful Hindu woman who took her to her home to use western toilets and as we were leaving she offered use chia tea and we gracefully said no but than she asked us to come and pray for her husband. what?
She took is to another room and introduced use to her family, her parents, her son and her husband who had a stroke and was now paralyzed on the right side of his body. so we stood there, four Christian women praying for non believers to get heal and for Jesus to meet them in their dreams.
Something I learned at training camp and on the race is that Hindus tend to believe in Jesus through dreams, yes dreams, go to sleep, Jesus appears and that’s it, believers. Here’s the thing though as I stood there, God told me this is why obedience is so important, this is why His timing is perfect.
When you obey people come to know the love of Jesus, this woman was in the back of the room where God told me to wait and she observed, listened, and eventually was taking selfies with us but that took time and building relationships.
God has thought me many things on the race, many and the most recurring one is stop and build trust. He reminds me that yes bringing people to Jesus and eternal life is vital and important but what is also important and a priority is getting to know people, taking the time to sit with them, showing them that you won’t give up until you get a smile, even if that means taking weird selfies and showing them that I want to get to know them.
That is what Jesus did, He walked with people, eat with sinners, and even went to weddings. Jesus lived life with sinners and people from different backgrounds and He took the time to know them and show them love. He spoke to and with them, He met them where they were at and He didn’t turn anyone away.
That’s what I want to continue to be when I get back to the United States, I want to live a life where I sit with people and get to know them just because. I want to be able to laugh, grow and eventually with time and trust lead them to a life with Jesus.
Here I am month eight, about to head into month nine of one of the most amazing journeys of my entire life so far and all I want to do is sit with people and listen to them, just sit, listen and break bread.
