"Desayuno, mi hija"
I don't know why (do we ever really know God's reasoning?), but God has really given me a heart and a love for Naomi. Naomi is the woman who bicycles twenty or so minutes each way to Casa Verde to cook our three meals every day (except Saturday) and help with cleaning around the house. She is a beautiful woman of God and she fills me with such joy just being around her. While it is hard communicating in my broken spanish, God gives us an understanding that can really only be explained as by coming from him. Some of my favorite moments on this trip have been waking up early to laugh with her while we make arroz con leche or mickey-mouse shaped pancakes for breakfast. In fact, the other day when she called me "mi hija", I thought I was going to burst into tears of joy. I was just overwhelmed.
God has used her to teach me so much already, especially the importance of love and joy, and showing that through our actions, not just our words. Yes, I can tell you about Jesus or his love for you, but when you spend TIME with people, and really invest in loving on them, that speaks volumes. He has also been teaching me how important missions are for believers as well. So often we see missions as seeking to save the lost, and while that is important, missions is also to edify and build up nonbelievers. The whole point of missions is to bring God further glory. As John Piper puts it, "Missions exists because worship doesn't." Whether we are worshiping by telling others about God's salvation, or worshiping by building up believers in their faith and reminding them of God's passionate love for him, it all brings glory to God.
"Confused Looks"
Part of our ministry here is, obviously, working with kids. Last week (Thursday I believe), we did street evangelism in Colonial San Manuel (the neighborhood/street Casa Verde is in). We went door-to-door inviting kids to come to our activity, where we did our chair skit (about being stuck to sin), sang some songs in Spanish, and did some dances to Spanish songs. The best part of it all was being able to play with them afterwards, to see their faces light up with joy as we played tag, did the Macarena, and burst into impromptu tickle parties. While sitting down and trying to talk to some of the girls, I got a LOT of confused looks. And even through that, God was teaching me. Teaching me about the innocence of Children, and the honesty that we lose as we grow older. Rather than pretend they knew what I was talking about, just so I would finish talking faster, they let it show that they were lost, that they had no clue what this gringo was saying. In their very demeanor, God taught me the importance of patience. In America, we are so quick to judge, so quick to become frustrated when people don't speak our languae. I was on facebook and saw something a friend of mine had posted that just confirmed that. It was a post secret picture that said, "This is bad enough (With a cartoon picture of Mexicans crossing the boarder in a mob-like mass), but when you speak Spanish in the cafeteria, it makes me hate you even more." We as Americans expect everyone to bend to OUR ways of doing things, to speak OUR language, and we are quick to dismiss when we dont. These precious girls were patient with me, lovingly trying to explain to each other what I was saying, and taking as long as needed to understand. If I had that kind of heart with seeking out God and serving other people, man oh man what glory would come to God.
"Dramas"
Another part of our ministry here is "Dramas". Also known as human videos in the states, dramas are where we act out skits with words, or skits done to songs, to proclaim truth about God and his message of salvation. This last friday night, we performed the Drama to Superchick's "Stand in the Rain". And yes, God used this to communicate yet another truth to me. Spiritual warfare is real. We live in an unfortunate bubble in the United States, not recognizing spiritual warfare, or the spiritual realm at all. But Paul has made it clear that "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the SPIRITUAL FORCES OF EVIL IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES." (Ephesians 6:12). We can deny it all we want, but the more we deny it, the more Satan is helped. For if we don't believe it exists, we won't fight it. And if we don't fight it, he has free reign (Within what God allots of course) (See C.S. Lewis's "The Screwtape Letters"). Other team members blogged about this, so I won't go into it except to say that Satan tried to stop us getting to church to perform the skit, but God's purposes prevail. We made it to the church, performed the skit, and thought that was it. But it wasn't. One of our translators, Andrea, a beautiful woman of God (and one I want to grow to be like), gave a message on Joseph the dreamer (read Genesis 27-50). The resounding message from this was, "God places in each of us dreams that we share with him. We are to pursue those dreams. Whether they take one day, one week, one month, one year, twenty years, or seventy years. Even when we feel like a tornado has destroyed everything in our life, we are to keep pressing on because God holds our hand and will NEVER let us go."
This leads me to the biggest thing of all: recently, I feel like God has really placed it on my heart to go to Kenya and Thailand. Kenya, because my sponsored child is there and I want to serve her people and bring God's hope to them in a way beyond monetary contribution. Thailand because my team leader said a few days ago, "Brittany, maybe you should go to Thailand", and when she said it, it just clicked in my heart. I have such a heart to reach women and children who have suffered traumatic events or abuse, and Thailand ministry is all about setting women free from the bonds of prostitution, and letting them know their freedom, healing, and identity in Christ. This may sem very haphazard and "fly by the seat of your pants", but when God places something in your heart, who are we to ignore it or try to rationalize it away?
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