“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant…”
(1 Corinthians 13:4)
Today’s quiet time was based on kindness from 1 Corinthians 13:4. Our journal defined kindness as “doing whatever it takes to make life better for someone else.” And then it quoted the Talmud, the writings of Jewish Rabis on the Old Testament, saying “the highest form of wisdom is kindness.” This week we have been examining the concept of decreasing so that Jesus can increase in our lives. We have been praying through and seeking true biblical humility and a Christlike heart. Kindness is the expression of a heart that loves Jesus genuinely.
1 Corinthians 13 is known as the “Love Chapter,” and is often read at weddings (BTW I am preparing a wedding sermon for back home on Saturday…I appreciate the prayers). Interestingly, that was not Paul’s intent when writing it. Yes, there are some beautiful statements about genuine love in 1 Corinthians 13, but it was written for Christians as a guide to loving fellow Christians they may disagree with about worship issues (Read chapters 12 and 14). Jesus said, “they will know you are my disciples by your love for the brothers.” This means loving fellow Christians well and demonstrating it through action.
Kindness is a trait that is welcomed by all, yet it is unfortunately rare. Learning to display the love of Christ through kindness will make you stand out in this world. I love seeing the kindness of our team as they seek to serve and encourage each other on this trip. Seeing and hearing conversations happen that are real is a testimony to the authenticity of the spirit of love in the team members. Not only are they learning and applying love with our team, but they are bending that love out toward the community and Casa Abba as we painted there today.
Painting can be a tough job any day, but it can be very difficult on a day that was a humid 86 degrees. Our team jumped in full bore as we began painting the first building on Casa Abba property. Today was about sealing the concrete with a white paint primer. Tomorrow we will add some color. Everyone pitched in and began working to prepare the space and get the brushes out. Everyone was filling the different jobs so quickly that I had time to go around and take pictures. I am just going to post a bunch of painting pictures tonight…
David, Will, Nick, and I (mostly David) helped fix the front gate to the property.
A highlight for me was jumping in the car and catching up with Kayla Morales. I realized she has been absent from my writings this week, but she is very much present and a huge part about what is going on here. It’s just that Kayla and I haven’t had much one-on-one time this year as she is a new momma and taking care of Zeke. I enjoyed the time in the car and look forward to future conversations with her. Last year we had one vehicle with only 8 of us, therefore Kayla, Jocsan, and I shared the cab of the truck most trips. This year we have two vehicles and Jocsan and I have had a lot of time together, which I treasure but that also means less time with Kayla. I love my time with her where we can talk about life, fears, struggles, vision, and God.
It is so encouraging to see how she loves her kiddos and sacrifices for them. Zeke is 3 months old and needs a lot of attention, yet Kayla is on the work site caring him around or passing him off to one of the team members, which we all love having “Zeke time.” These things are a big deal for a new mom, and I am so proud of her spirit, encouragement, and her kindness as she embraced this team.
Kayla
shared her testimony in our morning devotions, and I love hearing her share it.
Each time she shares it I learn something new about this amazing young woman that
has inspired us to be here this week. Kayla is one of our own and she is
serving Jesus with her whole heart! Jesus never promised an easy life if we
follow him, but he promised to be with us and to bless us as we faithfully
follow him. Kayla’s testimony is a story of God’s faithfulness to his promises
in her life. You will have to come on the trip with us in the future to hear
her testimony or ask her when she visits home. It’s her story to tell but I am
a so proud of her for telling it.
After Kayla shared, I shared this Irish proverb with the group, “the best thing a friend can do with their friends is to share them.” Kayla and Jocsan are my friends that I want to share with the world. They are good people who love Jesus and live authentic Christian lives, and I am so happy to share them with our team (and you through this blog). Missionaries (and pastors for that matter) are not perfect people, they are people. I love the fact that our team is around real missionaries and can learn from them and see the realness of their lives. The fact that Kayla and Jocsan have allowed us to invade their space only 3 months after having their first baby is amazing. We have become a family unit and grown together tremendously.
When we finished cleaning up painting, we met behind the garage and prayed for Mr. Juan and Eulogio. I had the privilege of praying for them and their families. Afterwards, they shook each of our hands and were grateful that we took time to pray for them. They are doing an amazing job on the property and are a huge blessing to Jocsan and Kayla.
Jocsan shared with our team their vision for the property and even some ideas of what a trip next year might be. Let’s pray together for God’s direction and blessing on his vision to reach the neighborhood children for Christ.
Tomorrow is our last full day here. Please pray for us as we don’t want to leave, even though we look forward to being back home. God has protected us and given us health throughout this trip, which is part of the reason we are enjoying it so much. Please pray for Jocsan as he is congested and may have a cold. Pray for Kalya’s mom Kim who had a scratchy throat and wasn’t feeling well today. We only have short time left here, but we do ask for continued prayer for our health, especially the digestive health, of our team.
Thanks for following along!
No comments:
Post a Comment