It’s my third day in Apastapeque; I’m ready to see God at work! We’re heading out to a poor community to pass out food. We pack up 40 bags with salt, sugar, noodles, oil, spices and a few other things and throw it in the truck. I spent a lot of time in this village last year so I was so excited when I heard the news we were going back! O squad prays before we leave; they ask the Holy Spirit to guide them and they pray for the people in the village. I arrive and see familiar faces the second I hop out of the truck. We hang out with some of the kids and play as we wait for the other team to arrive. I love seeing the same children, that I took so many photos of last year, with beautiful smiles on their faces! The other team shows up and we walk door to door and pass out food and pray for the families. I tell O Squad to be bold, we live in a time where God is still doing big things and miracles still happen every day! We pray for families, financial needs, and healing! O Squad walks with fire!! It's powerful to see these men and women walking as humble servants of Christ! Paul addressed himself as a servant multiple times throughout the Bible. I consider myself nothing more and the men and women of O Squad feel the same way. We get done and play football and throw the frisbee with the kids. I spend most of my time with Carmen a little girl I fell in love with last year! A lot of the kids were in school so I hope we get to go back. God shows His faithfulness in places like this. We don’t need lots of money, a big house and fancy cars. We need God; we need to be less self-sufficient and more dependent on the Author of life. There is so much hope and joy in places like this!
We break for lunch then the teams split up and head to two different church services. We go to another poor village and walk around inviting families to come to the service in 10 minutes. 20 or more join in on the worship and Seth brings the Gospel. It’s his first time ever preaching and it’s a beautiful thing. We forget to bring the rest of the food bags we had left over from earlier, but we take down names of the families. There are 17 families in all. We have 17 bags of food left over at the house!!! WOW God! I walk back to the bus stop listening to some Jesus Culture. I rest in His arms. God rocks!
I'm finishing up Kingdom Journeys by Seth Barnes and some really cool things are thrown at me:
"God uses physical poverty to reveal our own spiritual poverty and to help us join Him in healing the world."
“Ultimately our pilgrimage is to the poor because in them we see Jesus and find the Kingdom.”
“The place God calls you to is where your deep gladness and the worlds deep hunger meet”
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” Proverbs 19:17
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” Hebrews 13:16
"You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widow's garment in pledge, but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this. Deuteronomy 24:17,18
When I left for The World Race over a year ago I thought I was giving up so much… my job, school, family, friends, car, all of the comforts of home. I have been telling people over and over since I’ve been home, I really didn’t give up that much. It seems like a lot and people are in awe of what I’ve been doing but there is so much more! I had more in my backpack that most people will ever see in their entire lives. I want to sacrifice more! I want to live among the poor and give as much as I can! We have been given to abundantly so we should give abundantly! It’s not just about giving money; it’s also about giving your time by serving others. The most precious gift of all was Jesus coming down to earth to spend time with us and to show how much He loves us by dying a sinner’s death on the cross. I can’t even comprehend this… But I can try my best to wake up each day and sacrifice my life for others.
God did not call me to an ordinary lifestyle. The life I live is radical and I want nothing else! Through this radical lifestyle I have been liberated… I walk in that freedom! He has called me to set the captives free, to heal the sick, to preach the good news, to love the widows and the fatherless. He has sent me out as a sheep amongst the wolves but He has always provided, He has never left or forsaken me, and He has always loved me!
