Yesterday, I walked into Redemption Village expecting it to be like any other day... to play with the kids and come out drenched in sweat. Well, I played with the kids and still came out drenched in sweat, but also with another's blood stained on my shirt and caked on my arms and feet.
Sunday's sermon at New Life was profoundly impacting for me. It was about the parable of the sower and the condition of our "soil" to receive God's word in our hearts (Mark 4:1-20). The enemy prowls around to steal, kill, and destroy any truth the Lord breathes in us. So we must break up the fallow ground (Hosea 10:12) to allow the healing words of God (Proverbs 4:22) to be planted, hidden (Psalm 119:11), and protected (Proverbs 4:23) in our hearts.
It happens so subtly, too. The moment my eyes turn from God and His Word, failing to remain vigilant and protective of the Truth in my life, Satan jumps at the chance to snatch it. I was convicted through the message to break up the hardness in my heart, to ask for forgiveness, and to feed upon His Word in a lasting manner, intentionally guarding every word in His abiding presence.
Even though we crash and burn, the Lord is there to sweep us up in His arms and speak His word over us. It is never His fault when we fall, but Jesus gladly bears it. He does not scold us nor say "I told you so" (though, our scrapes and wounds do a good enough job of that on their own).
He is a God of compassion, mercy, and forgiveness. His Spirit is life, His word is healing, and His path is sure.
My days are numbered here in the Dominican Republic. I'll be returning to the states the end of this year and God willing, I'll be back for a length of time in the spring. But I don't want to miss a single word or experience the Lord has for me while I'm here.
I don't want my soil to be fallow or for the seeds He scatters to be snatched by birds of prey, scorched in the sun, or choked by thorns. I want to be fruitful for the Lord.
On a different note...
The Suchers will be leaving for the states on Thursday for nearly two months on furlough. As a majority of my time here had been devoted to teaching their daughters, I have now lost my best students! However, I've picked up some new tasks to keep me busy while they're gone.
In addition to the bible lesson every Tuesday before the feeding program in Redemption, I will be teaching English Tuesday and Friday afternoons at one of the schools there. Wednesdays I will visit Erika and Victor out at Playa Laguna and run errands to keep the mission going. Monday nights I will continue helping with youth group at New Life Church, as well as lead Children's Ministry two Sundays a month. My free time will be spent planning lessons and, more likely than not, on my knees in prayer! I most definitely cannot do any of these things without God.
Oh, and remember Mariflor? Unfortunately, she will not be able to travel with the Suchers to the states. We have a friend watching her on the weekends, another amazing woman watching her during the weekdays, and I will be watching her on the weeknights. The Lord has placed such a joy in our hearts to care for Mariflor and we're all trusting God's ways are perfect.
I'd say I have plenty on my plate to keep me busy for the next two months! I'm sure I'll have some fun stories to share in the days ahead!
It all happened so fast. One minute we're smiling and laughing. The next moment I'm sweeping a little girl off the ground with a busted lip and blood dripping from her mouth.
After placing too much faith in me to catch her from the swings, this little five year old girl found herself face down on the broken gravel. A joyful moment turned into painful shock in one miscalculated reach. My maternal instinct kicked in and I immediately swept her in my arms.
I ran us straight to the feeding center where the pastor and others were able to pour water in her mouth to clean the wound. The poor thing had scraped her gums badly and had a mouth full of dirt and blood. All I knew to do was hold her close, pat her back, and say "esta bien... tu eres muy valiente" over and over again.
Her little brother, maybe three years old, came to see how his sister was doing after the fall. He just looked sympathetically upon his big sister, placed his hand on her arm, and asked if she was ok. She laid her head on my shoulder and rested against me for a few moments as kids began crowding around.
It hurts me so much. There was nothing I could do and it wasn't my fault. This was the little girl who, moments before, was freely moving from one gringa's arms to the next, fully trusting that we all were strong enough to support her. So much faith in people she hardly knows. Her faith in my ability to catch her was unfortunately misguided.
There was no way for me to know what she was doing. The same sort of thing happens all over the world, because kids will be kids. They learn what they can and can't do through these experiences and they miraculously bounce back.
And oh, how easily I can relate as a child of God.
How often do I put my trust in the wrong things and turn away my gaze from the Lord? Even if only for one second.
That's all it takes.
How often do I put my trust in the wrong things and turn away my gaze from the Lord? Even if only for one second.
That's all it takes.
Sunday's sermon at New Life was profoundly impacting for me. It was about the parable of the sower and the condition of our "soil" to receive God's word in our hearts (Mark 4:1-20). The enemy prowls around to steal, kill, and destroy any truth the Lord breathes in us. So we must break up the fallow ground (Hosea 10:12) to allow the healing words of God (Proverbs 4:22) to be planted, hidden (Psalm 119:11), and protected (Proverbs 4:23) in our hearts.
It happens so subtly, too. The moment my eyes turn from God and His Word, failing to remain vigilant and protective of the Truth in my life, Satan jumps at the chance to snatch it. I was convicted through the message to break up the hardness in my heart, to ask for forgiveness, and to feed upon His Word in a lasting manner, intentionally guarding every word in His abiding presence.
"My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ears to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart, for they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil."
Proverbs 4:20-27
Even though we crash and burn, the Lord is there to sweep us up in His arms and speak His word over us. It is never His fault when we fall, but Jesus gladly bears it. He does not scold us nor say "I told you so" (though, our scrapes and wounds do a good enough job of that on their own).
He is a God of compassion, mercy, and forgiveness. His Spirit is life, His word is healing, and His path is sure.
My days are numbered here in the Dominican Republic. I'll be returning to the states the end of this year and God willing, I'll be back for a length of time in the spring. But I don't want to miss a single word or experience the Lord has for me while I'm here.
I don't want my soil to be fallow or for the seeds He scatters to be snatched by birds of prey, scorched in the sun, or choked by thorns. I want to be fruitful for the Lord.
~
The Suchers will be leaving for the states on Thursday for nearly two months on furlough. As a majority of my time here had been devoted to teaching their daughters, I have now lost my best students! However, I've picked up some new tasks to keep me busy while they're gone.
In addition to the bible lesson every Tuesday before the feeding program in Redemption, I will be teaching English Tuesday and Friday afternoons at one of the schools there. Wednesdays I will visit Erika and Victor out at Playa Laguna and run errands to keep the mission going. Monday nights I will continue helping with youth group at New Life Church, as well as lead Children's Ministry two Sundays a month. My free time will be spent planning lessons and, more likely than not, on my knees in prayer! I most definitely cannot do any of these things without God.
Oh, and remember Mariflor? Unfortunately, she will not be able to travel with the Suchers to the states. We have a friend watching her on the weekends, another amazing woman watching her during the weekdays, and I will be watching her on the weeknights. The Lord has placed such a joy in our hearts to care for Mariflor and we're all trusting God's ways are perfect.
I'd say I have plenty on my plate to keep me busy for the next two months! I'm sure I'll have some fun stories to share in the days ahead!
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