Day 4: School Supplies to the Students
We passed the halfway mark on this trip and the Holy Spirit is really felt in the mission house. I was officially able to escape the much-needed morning coffee, afternoon caffeine, and evening "diet soda" to keep my energy about me. A victory that will soon be forgotten when we return home in 3 days. However, Seth served up the devotional today, a friendly reminder found in Romans 15:5-7 that the God we are serving is the God of endurance and encouragement. Because of this, we should be welcoming one another into the kingdom. These words really inspired me personally to step out of my comfort zone even more than I already have been. Communication is unfortunately a barrier with some of these children, but joy, laughter, and intentionality are not. Today, I was called to take it a step further when connecting with these kids: really get to their level and learn about as many as I could. Today, I was channeling the Calvary Chapel welcome team.
In our first stop of two, we visited the Teresa Liberty Baptist Church, run by Pastor Arnel. This is one of three private schools that Pastor Arnel oversees, and as we got the tour, I was impressed by the care given to renovations, amenities, and biblical leadership. The impact that this has on the children was felt during our activation. These kids were so engaged in the Jonah message, full of joy, and truly love the Lord. My pocket camera has a fun feature where the lens activates and moves robotically. Showing a group of boys was like showing them a magic trick! Once I set it to "selfie" mode, the picture below speaks for itself.
After passing out the supplies, we headed to the courtyard to take on some of the students in hoops. At 6'5", the kids were fully under the impression that Matt was NBA caliber. It made for some wildly entertaining 4 on 4 basketball, where if it weren't for the fact that we were a minimum foot taller than each kid, we would have gotten beat. If you had to summarize today in one word, it'd simply be fun. We sought fun in the service, on the court, and in the prayer over both the leadership and youth. One moment in particular worth mentioning was when we prayed over a graduated high school senior who was preparing to become a pastor at Bible college. It really dawned on me today that it's an honor above comprehension that God developed the perfect road that led us on this trip. To be used by God has quickly become one of my favorite things in life, and part of the excitement is when it's clearly not my own will at work.
The next stop was with Pastor Cadz at the Baras Lagundi Elementary School. This was a public school, but it still had the Holy Spirit working. When talking to him, he really kept circling back to trusting the Lord's provision and timing. It really got me thinking about how difficult that may be when the problems you're facing are survival in nature. Where's my next meal coming from? What am I wearing for school tomorrow? It's a spiritual discipline that I have trouble with in the most frivolous situations of life, and this man has made it his pinnacle for over thirty years of ministry. It is clearly by divine foresight that our devotionals continue to be exactly what we need for the day to come. May the God of endurance and encouragement continue strengthening us in trusting His timing and welcoming our brothers and sisters into the kingdom of heaven. I can't wait for tomorrow.
