Monday, June 6, 2011

Edge of the desert

desert-walk

It seems like we may have finally arrived at the edge of the desert. Arriving in a new country, culture, language and even having a new baby is hard. At the same time you want to be missionaries, lead people to Jesus, work with kids, work with the hurting, whatever your passion is. You have studied, prepared raised money but you discover you are totally useless. There is nothing you can do on your own. You can’t communicate with the people you came to reach.

Over time it became difficult to be content. The first few months we kept busy with paperwork, having Alannah, school but through the summer we began to feel isolated and frustrated. We couldn’t quite do anything on our own.

Just about the time we thought we couldn’t take it anymore we began to see some breakthrough. I have shared about the growth with lunch on Saturdays and the kids coming to church. As we have begun to respond to this we are learning something really amazing.

We can do this. We don’t speak good Portuguese, we don’t have enough money, our church doesn’t have the perfect space but none of those things matter. God uses people who are willing and in His timing.

Yesterday we did a kids service at church in the afternoon. We weren’t fully prepared, we hadn’t met to plan anything but we were going to try. We picked up Ariel, a friend who is a student at Semear, a missions training school. We got to church and a handful of kids showed up. We began playing ping pong with them and I left to see if anyone wanted a ride. Joao had said more were coming but I decided to help it along. On the way back from picking up a handful of girls we seen another group almost there. We picked them up and got back to the church to find out plenty more kids had shown up.

Lori and Neto arrived just in time to help us bring them in for a memory verse and a story. It went very well to use the church  n the afternoon versus the night when everyone is there. We were able to use the sanctuary, projector and sound system. We had the parking lot empty for games and no need to worry about noise. We gave them cake, played with them and gave them a little story but most of all love.

It really was amazing driving about 20 of them home, all at the same time in my 9 passenger van, listening to them laugh and yell for friends. These kids didn’t want to leave just because some people gave them a place to play and loved them. They spend their days in the streets in front of their little houses. Little kids playing in the street, 4 and 5 years old.

We don’t need perfection and money to help them we just need to give a little time.

1 comment:

  1. I love seeing what God is doing in and through you guys!! How exciting - and God knew all along.... Continue on. Why move on when God is at work right where you are?! Amazing, simply amazing.

    ReplyDelete