I actually met this next guy a little over a year ago in Guatemala, but was finally able to catch back up with him this past weekend. Ryan and his friend, Josiah, ran into our group after walking through Central America. It’s exactly what it sounds like. These two landed in the capital of Honduras and then walked straight through the country and up into Guatemala before they ran into us. They were simply abandoning everything to be led by God and were able to do some incredible ministry along the way and make some life long contacts as well. Parts of our group were a little skeptical of our two stragglers at first, but one conversation with them led us to believe that these were two guys we wanted around.
Ryan and Josiah tagged along with us for the next week or so before we had to part ways at the border (incredible and shaddy story by the way…) and were just a huge fresh breath to our ministry. For me personally, in the midst of leadership struggles and team dynamics, these guys helped remind me why I took off in the first place. It was never about being a good team leader or following our program, it was about getting over myself and letting God work through me even when I had nothing to give. One of the most inspiring nights with these guys was when we were in the capital of Guatemala and they felt God tell them to go sleep on the streets with the people. A few of us prayed through the night for their safety, and a little after sunrise, they returned to us with an incredible testimony of God’s protection and salvation.
Ever since I parted with these two guys, I’ve been excited about reconnecting with them somewhere down the road. Even though it was short lived, I was able to catch up with Ryan and hear a little more about the next steps that God is calling him to and the doors that are opening up for him. One of the most refreshing, and a little intimidating, things he said to me was when he told me he wanted to book me for like a week. The reason was that he would never be able to get enough in just one lunch conversation, so he wanted to be completely available to hear and celebrate all that God had done in my past year. With that in mind, I was able to share just short stories with him and give him a big overview of the work God has been doing in my life. It was such an invigorating conversation for me because I felt like he truly wanted to know.
One of the coolest things I saw in our conversation was his hunger to hear and even feel the testimonies of God’s great work that had been going on. I think most of us get together with friends and trade stories, but are constantly thinking of what we’ll say next instead of just being a part of a friend’s story. I’m not saying that Ryan is the first person since I’ve been home to put off this vibe, but I recognized it clearly in him. He was so focused on my stories and seeing God’s hand in them that what he had to say didn’t matter. This is coming from a guy that walked across Central America and went to the Dark triangle in Indonesia this past summer. He’s got a few stories of his own.
I think there are times when we just need to sit and listen to each other and celebrate the victories and what God is doing through others. Not only because we all have important things to say, but it also helps remind us of the Body. We’re stronger not because I have incredible stories, but because we all have incredible stories and sometimes we just need someone to sit down and listen. God is doing incredible things in lives all over sometimes we just need to listen to what God is doing through someone else to get the spot light off ourselves. So small challenge for today. If you have a story you want to share with me, please do I would love it (and will probably even post it with permission). If you don’t, then find someone to listen to today. When God works people want to celebrate and you can be just as encouraged celebrating someone else’s story. The Body is huge, but we can make it more intimate by listening to each other and seeing how God works through someone else. So tell a story today… Or at least listen…
