Today my team decided to bless our “hosts”, the workers of the hostel at which we are staying, by cooking a meal. Someone remembered that the owner, Steven, loved TexMex, so we ended up making tacos, with some salad and watermelon. One of the staff, who we discovered yesterday was a Christian also, had never had tacos. Therefore, we made a video of EmilyAnn explaining how to make a taco, and then him making his taco and eating it. Because of available foods, they were hard shell tacos, with onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, sour cream, salsa, and ground chicken and beef. We also had a lot of extra food, so we invited some of the other guests to join us, making a small party out of the situation, and opening up a lot of doors for conversations. Steven kept saying how great the food was and thanked us for being so thoughtful. We in turn got plenty of chances to thank him for his generosity, and talk with the other guests about what we are doing here and who we are in Christ.
One guest in particular has been around for a few days, and she has been talking with us regularly every day. She is an elderly woman from Belgium, and has stated she is not a Christian, but likes the idea of what we are doing. She gave us some tips on provincial laws, and told us helpful information about the area. She also stated that we should be careful about going to certain areas, and that we may want to avoid provinces entirely. She kept telling us not to go to certain areas and to say certain things. Everything she said was valid, but was also rooted in a state of fear. She has no idea about the power and courage of those in God’s will. (Side note: God has not asked us to go to these restricted areas at present, and he may not actually do so.) One of my teammates told me afterward that when the lady was speaking all these things out of fear for safety, her internal reaction was, “Lady, do you know who I serve?” Thankfully she didn’t say that out loud.
Anyway, this evening, as we were blessing the staff and guests of the hostel, Joanna began a conversation for this woman about the World Race and it’s mission yet again. The woman was sincerely interested once again, and this time the conversation went into faith and salvation. I got to listen to part of the conversation. The woman sounded hungry for more information. Joanna was able to share her story of what God has meant to her, and what her walk has been. The woman reached the point where she said she respected everyone else’s beliefs, but had her own and wanted to be respected for them. Joanna just told her that we “can walk arm-in-arm, without seeing eye-to-eye”.
We have been able to bless so many people in the last few days, and this woman is just one. Please pray for her, and that she will see the Loving Savior in the way that only he can show her.
#redefiningdisciple #GodIsInControl
