Earlier today I decided to take a walk around the area, just for fun. It seemed like such a nice day so I thought it would be a good idea 🙂 Was already in a good mood from the music and word this morning, and also another book I started reading which spoke
directly into something I often struggle with – which is basically loneliness (there is actually a lot more that goes into it, but that’s the simplest way I can put it)
I ended up walking to an outdoor market place that was going on. There I bought a pupusa, which is what I had been wanting to get for a while haha. I met a guy there from Denver Colorado who was there on vacation with family, so I recommended he try a pupusa also as he’d never had one. I ran into two of the sisters on my team a few times, bought a pineapple fanta (good), and eventually we started talking to a few people (ran into the girls on my team again) Two of the guys we are already familiar with, the other I
never seen before…
At first he wasn’t making much sense to me and I thought maybe he was just drunk (he might have been a little) or crazy. But I kept listening to him. After a while I was finally able to somewhat understand what he was saying… He has a knowledge of Jesus and His word and knows the truth and seems to believe, but seemed to struggle with a few things like unforgiveness, grace, and loneliness… so I was able to relate to what he was saying and also tried to encourage him and shed some truth on those things (as I am learning for myself) I prayed for him, but even after that I kept listening…for a good while…eventually I ended up buying him some food at a restaurant because he was hungry, and I listened some more.
At this time I started wondering why I’m still there and feeling like I should say goodbye (as if I had something better to do…which I didn’t) But then I thought something like, “God this is Your day and Your time, not mine. So If You want me to stay here and keep listening then I will.” Not too long after that I was able to understand what the guy was saying even more, and all of a sudden he didn’t seem so crazy to me and I was able to pick up what he truly wanted and needed – one of those things was someone to listen to him, and the other was his strong desire to see his kids (whom he hasn’t seen in 7 years. The whole reason why he is in this area in the first place – looking for them) Loneliness…
He mentioned something else that I can’t remember, but I was able to relate to it so well – I just can’t remember what words he said so I can’t quote or even rephrase it. By the time I said my goodbye to him I was able to not only understand him, but able to pray for him more specifically and sincerely. The first time I prayed for him he kept speaking out something, but this time he stayed silent and agreed and received it…truly receiving it and praising God with me… and our goodbye was a good one, not an awkward one. There are two things I got from this encounter…
1. Be willing to LISTEN… even if you don’t understand right away, even if you start to feel ‘bored’ or feel like you have ‘better’ things to do. It can be hard. I know what it’s like to not be heard so I always try my best to hear others out, even though it can be hard for me to listen also. If you really want to understand someone, LISTEN.
Years ago there was a co worker who always came off as a crazy conspiracy type person. One day I asked God to not put me next to him in the same working area, but He did. I listened to the same old ‘rambling’ which never made much sense at all. But then
something happened… as I was listening all of a sudden I was able to understand him, clear as day…it turned out that he in a way actually knew the truth! He just needed someone to explain it to him a little more biblically. He confessed after work that he had been a Christian but supposed that he got side tracked and lost focus. It was so cool to be able to help him see clearly again! 😀 So when I was done speaking to the guy from earlier today, I thought of my co worker from years ago. I just needed to listen…
2. After earlier today, I guess I realized that God was reminding me that I am not alone in my struggles – and that brought me some peace 🙂
We have 11 days left here in Belize… God is still working in us and through us and He is still not done… 😀 Pray for us! If you would like to see and hear more of whats been going on, check out my facebook page where I do videos and more pictures. Also I am still about $4,000 away from being fully funded for this missions trip. So please pray for provisions and if you would like to donate you can do so here 🙂 You can also give through paypal (paypal.me/samsauce18) God bless you all! Excited to see what happens the next 11 days we have remaining! 😀
