Sometimes, incredibly significant things are happening right before our eyes and we fail to notice.
Sometimes, people’s lives are being changed, while we, inches away, contemplate what we’ll be eating for dinner, or how much longer this conversation will last.
Our eyes can be open and still not see.
That happened to me at the beginning of this month. I missed the moment where Jodi found her purpose this month.
We had gone for prison ministry. While some of our guys were speaking to the men in several different cells, Jodi, Hope and I were talking to the women. As we talked, we noticed the minors in the cell next to the women listening. We moved our chairs, so that they could hear us, too. They were pretty quiet. I took that to mean they weren’t really interested, but when prayer was offered, they came up one by one.
One boy (and I say boy because these are young men who are all under the age of 18) came up pretty slowly, seeming really shy. He said his name was Johnathon. “Do you know what that name means?” Jodi asked. “It means ‘God’s gracious gift’.” Tears immediately sprang to his eyes, and after we prayed for him, he quickly walked back to his cot. He spent the rest of our time there with his face covered by the front of his t-shirt, his back heaving occasionally, the only sign of the tears hidden by the red fabric of his shirt.
Somewhere between that boy and the end, Jodi felt called to these boys. So she, Emily and Marissa spent most of the last few weeks with them. They played games and taught English. But more than that?
They loved them.
These three women, who I am SO proud to call teammates and squadmates, spoke to these boys. They poured love into lives that haven’t seen very much of it. Marissa wrote about her experience with one of the guys, Kikim. His story is hard and sad. He’s an angry guy for many seemingly just reasons. But there is also a God out there, who is desperately trying to reach him, desperately trying to show him a new way to live, a way of love. And it’s incredible that God called these three women to teach Kikim and the others this lesson a seemingly ordinary day.
This month was so great for me. I fell into a pretty easy routine, mostly baby duty in the morning and feedings in the afternoon. In between and after, playing with the kids at the orphanage where we were staying. I can’t say I always immensely enjoyed baby duty, as we dubbed it. The one-month old, “Anna”, kind of scared me. I just don’t like it when something can’t hold up its own head! And also, for a lady, she could do some major damage to a diaper! But by doing that, Jodi and Marissa could go be with the minors at the jail. Maybe this is community- supporting each other in our passions, helping each other out. And baby duty was time to talk to the other girls who were on, to pray over the babies, to talk to the girls at the orphanage.
On our last Sunday, they threw a ‘graduation party’ for the boys. The moment the guys walked in and saw the table with food and Coca-Cola, they began crying. I’m not sure there are many things as touching as 7 young men crying at a table and the three women who have loved them also crying. It was tough to watch, but so touching.
And so when Ruben later shared the gospel with them, I couldn’t help but think, “If these boys get that now, if they understand love, it’s due in large part to the love they saw in Jodi, Em and Marissa.” Ruben was talking about the love of a Father, something these guys don’t really know much about because their earthly fathers messed up sometimes. But, as one wrote to Jodi in a note, “You have a been a savior to my loneliness.” Words like love, savior, Father, forgiveness and worth?
Those words mean something to those 7 young men now.
