"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else." –1 Thessalonians 3:1
I feel like God today is telling me to share more about what I have been reading and learning than what I have been doing for the past week. So here goes.
During this first month on the trip, God has been shaping and preparing my mind and heart for ministry and life in the months ahead. He has been breaking me, comforting me, and bringing me peace all at once. I quickly came to the realization that I have a lot of growing to do, but at the same time, I have already experienced God changing my heart in mighty ways in this short time.
Krista gave our group a book called Words That Hurt, Words That Heal: Speaking the Truth in Love by Carole Mayhall, and this is what I've been thinking about recently. The basis of the book can be summed up in the first chapter, "A Fountain or a Babbling Brook?", and it poses the question: Do the words that flow from our mouths praise God or the world? The first chapter alone made me step back and reevaluate what I say as well as what I think. "When our minds dwell on surface issues, we talk of surface issues. When our thoughts are mostly on problems, clothes, jobs, or other daily concerns, that's what we talk about. When we dwell deep with God, we will be -to some people sometimes- a fountain of life". This is such a simple concept, yet we so often forget the power that lies in our words. The author then goes on to say, "I am convinced that if we dwell deep with God, the overflow is going to consistently seep into our conversations." This is so true and exactly what I needed to hear. I hope that eventually I will reach that place where people just know the power of Jesus simply because of the overflow of His love pouring out of my heart. Especially on this trip, it is reassuring to know that even though we are young, Jesus can still do great things through us in ministering to all ages.
"Do not say, 'I am only a youth'; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak… Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant." Jeremiah 1: 7 & 10
I just felt like those words needed to be shared, so take it for what it is.
On another note, this week I taught Language Arts, Spelling, and Science to two sixth grade girls and two eighth grade boys at Loyalty School, a bi-lingual school in the mountains of Tegucigalpa. I loved being with those kids, and I am looking forward to teaching them again in about two weeks. Next week my group will be going to Los Pinos during the days, and there is a lot of heavy stuff going on there. Please keep all of Los Pinos in your prayers!
