I woke up at 4 am excited and ready to start the day. I couldn't wait to get to the squatters community and see the people. When we finished devotions, I jumped on the trailer to help load our supplies and I continued at that fast past as we got to the community. I was running from the church (dirt floor, metal roof, pavilion) down to the clinic trying to get everything ready for church to start, when I spotted something that stopped me in my tracks.
It was a little old woman with two small children trying to hold her up while she attempted to hobble down the muddy road to church. My heart went out to her and I immediately went to her side and put my arms around her to help her walk. I walked with the woman down the road, only moving one inch at a time as I made small talk with her. As I watched her wince in pain with each baby step, I tried to think of ways I could get her there faster and with less pain. I could've probably picked her up but I'm sure that would've been disrespectful for her. I couldn't find any other means of transporting her. So we trudged along.
Then I heard Saul starting the church service and thought "I need to get there faster to help. I need to be in church right now". No sooner had that thought passed my mind when I heard the team behind me calling everyone to gather around the clinic to sing Holy Ground. I was thinking "I need to be back there with the team". That walk seemed like the slowest I've ever moved in my life.
So here I am creeping along, feeling like I need to be at church and I need to be with the team and suddenly I hear God say "NO. You need to be right here, right now. This is where I need you to be my hands and feet in this moment, in this place to this woman". Wow! I looked at the woman as she struggled to smile at me through her pain and I smiled with a fresh appreciation of our slow pace. And I thoroughly enjoyed every little nano step of the remainder of our LONG WALK.
So many times I race through life, as I was today, thinking I need to be here or be there and I quite possibly am missing the most important opportunities right in front of me....to just be right where God needs me at that moment.
The day was awesome! It was a small community of people so we finished early, but the quality of time we had with them was amazing. We took our time in the church services and visited before and after. As we prayed for each child and looked into their eyes, I prayed for their future and God's blessings on their lives. I hope we touched their hearts.....I know they touched mine.
