What have I taken for granted in the U.S? The list is practically endless and surely includes things like having a job, owning a car, having a roof over my head, etc. What I am realizing is how much I have taken my faith for granted. People say that all the time in the states, but I never really understood it.
My teammates and I have been discipling some of the youth age men and women for the past week. One of the girls, Chantrea, has been coming faithfully every day. Jeanette and I have met with her for about an hour before English class and studied the bible. Chantrea has been a Christian for just over 2 months now. The last World Race team that came through gave her a Gideon’s New Testament. Her family does not believe in Jesus, so she has to hide her Bible and is not able to go to church. The only reason she is able to study with us is because her family only thinks she is studying English. If her parents found out the truth, there is a high chance she would be beat. Put yourself in her shoes for a moment: a 17-year-old girl, just hearing about Jesus for the first time, having to read more from a book that is in a language other than your first one, and having to conceal all of this from your family. Would I be able to do it? Would you?
During the hour that we have been meeting she and another girl, Ramy, have been asking some very challenging questions. These questions have not only caused me to have to search for answers in the bible, but have brought a new joy to my own faith. It has really brought to life different stories that I have taken for granted. Hearing the “Christmas Story” and the “Easter Story” have become annual things. These girls were asking about Jesus birth in October! At first, I thought of how absurd it seemed to me. We have grown so accustomed to hearing those stories only around those holidays, but Chantrea and Ramy wanted to hear about them regardless of the time of year. We were so overjoyed to share with them the miracle of Jesus birth through a virgin. Ramy asked why God chose Mary, and we were a bit stumped. The bible says that God found “favor” in Mary, nothing more. So we tried to explain the word favor to them. This brought new light to me as we thought of synonyms and ways to explain why Mary was chosen—i.e. God knew she would not back out when things got hard, he knew she could handle the knowledge that she would give birth to the Most High King, he knew that she would take great care of Jesus and raise him well, he knew that she was a faithful follower, etc. Situations like this keep arising, and I feel so blessed that God has allowed me to be apart of it. Please lift up these guys and girls, hungry to know the truth and seek after Him.
