At least it was me…

Hola!

Today has been a great day for our group. It’s only 2 o’clock and members of our group have already served in the kitchen, daycare, nursery, special needs classroom, orchard, prayer garden, going into the poor communities to dress wounds, and cleaning. Right now half of the group is on their way to child evangelism – traveling out into surrounding communities to play with and share the love of Jesus with kids, as well as to give them milk and peanut butter for protein. Tonight our entire group will head out to adult evanglism where we visit a mountain community, show a film about Jesus, and offer to pray with the locals (as well as distributing food and clothing).

We have been blessed so far with good weather, good travel, and generally good health. As I said yesterday, there have been some headaches and stomach aches, but nothing too bad. Only one person got sick on the plane ride…and you guessed it, at least it was me. Playing soccer last night while we looked after the group home kids I also managed to roll my ankle. The x-ray will have to wait until tomorrow, but the doctor thinks it’s just ligament and tendon tears. A few weeks on crutches ought to do it. On the bright side – at least it was me! It’ll give me more time to pray for those in our group, and perhaps it’s a lesson for me in that I often feel like I need to be involved in everything and this will be a chance for God to remind me that sometimes (perhaps oftentimes?) the ministry he has called me to is to equip and empower others.

So I’d love your prayers. Optimism fills my heart when I see the amazing things going on around me, but it clashes pretty dramtically with my personality when I sit aside and stay behind as everyone else goes to work.God’s grace is what I need most.

But, this isn’t a blog about me! Prayers for endurance for our team would be much appreciated – this place is very efficient and doesn’t leave free time. Breakfast and supper breaks for example are only 15 minutes (lunch, the main meal here is 30 minutes). With a hectic pace and a mighty hot sun, we need the Lord’s grace to give us what we need to serve him. One youth last night had a strange moment with God as he flipped through his Bible after devotions. He said it almost felt as though his finger was stuck to a page, and all of a sudden he really felt like I needed to read what it was. He listened, and having not even read it himself he asked me right away to read it.

Talk about a word from the Lord. In Zecariah 7 (the chapter he gave me) it talks about caring for windows and orphans and about fasting, but also about how the people of God didn’t do those things for God, they did those things for themselves. It goes on to talk about the necessity of listening to God and acting on his behalf, and the danger in not. I don’t have it in front of me right now, but words along the lines of those who listen to God will be listened to by God, while those who ignore God will not be heard by Him end off the chapter. Relevant to where we are at? I think so!

I praise God for speaking, even in unusual ways. It was a good moment for this young man and I to talk about how “God speaking” isn’t this audible voice that only some hear. It’s nudges, promptings, tingleings, feelings, thoughts…fingers being stuck to a page in the Scriptures…

God is good and he continues to talk. Remember to praise him for that today, and to listen even for the unusual voice of God today!