This morning after worship, we went to the site where we will spend the next three days. I was told what to expect, I saw pictures of what was ahead, but I was not prepared for how my heart would react as we pulled into the village. Another lesson of ‘be careful what you pray for’.
Rewind to last night. Dr. Jim had previewed the site with some others the day before we arrived. He was showing me pictures of the terrain, the work site and the ‘houses’ in the squatters village. As he scrolled through the pictures I caught myself thinking ‘wow, that’s sad, but I have seen similar conditions before’. Then I stopped and realized I was becoming numb to my surroundings. Sometimes the disadvantage of multiple mission trips is that you lose that ‘shock’ factor. For a moment, I think that happened to me and I didn’t like it at all. So I prayed simply “Lord, when I go to the site, allow me to see everything with fresh eyes…..allow me to see it with your heart”. And with that, the conversation turned to something else and we got busy and honestly I didn’t think about that particular prayer anymore. Until……
The bus turned the corner to travel down the bumpy, washed out road to the mud field that we would call a mission field for the next 3 days. I immediately had chill bumps, a lump in my throat, my heart was beating out of my chest and tears pouring from my eyes as we saw shack after shack that these people called their ‘houses’. They weren’t fit for animals. My heart went out to the people as I saw their faces light up and heard them yell to each other that we were coming….help was coming. I had an overwhelming feeling--an urgency-- that we must do all that we can to help these people and at the same time I KNEW that I will never be the same.
As the team scoped out the site and we visited with the people, I thanked God for this fresh perspective. There is a more to our mission (whatever and wherever that may be) than just being the hands and feet of Jesus…..we must also be his HEART. Today I got that loud and clear. We must see people with HIS heart and let Him break ours at the same time. We can’t let ourselves become immune to the needs He places before us.
Saul told me that he and his wife were driving past this village ‘Emanuel’ one day and he told her, ‘the medical team will come help these people some day’. Then he got a call from Scott asking for him to find the neediest people for this trip and of course he knew right where to take us. As Saul visited with the community to make the arrangements, the people gathered around and thanked God for the help they were to receive and told Saul that is why they chose the name ‘Emanuel’ they said because “God is with us”.
So claiming their promise, we are excited to spend the next three days in a place where undeniably “GOD IS WITH US”.
