On Sundays we go to the "Aldias" meaning the villages in the mountains to do church evangelism. This Sunday we went to two churches and two different villages. Let me tell you about the worse part, well kind of fun part too. We get to ride in the back of a truck with bars. So ok, these hills are really steep! I'm not even kidding when I say that! Plus they are not paved to make it worse! They have huge stones in the middle of the roads. As we go up hill we must hold on for our lives so we won't be thrown out or off the truck, hahahaha... (sorry mom if you read this). It really is a fun adventure! I will come back buff from just holding on so hard to the bars to stay on the truck, ahahahaha... It really is one of my favorite parts of traveling, but not on steep hills.
Ok back to the story about what we do on Sundays. So we went to two different churches today.
However, I did not know I was going to be a translator of a whole sermon that I have never even heard. I was really nervous because my Spanish has been really rusty from not speaking it as much. Plus I get really nervous when I have to talk in front of a whole bunch of people. So, at the first church it went ok and we got the message through and touched some lives through it. Then after leaving that church I was so exhausted, so we all got on the truck and came down the mountain for lunch. After that I really did not want to go to the next church. I felt really nervous about going and speaking again in front of people. The one of the girls form the other team gave me a letter of encouragement and it warmed my heart. I felt like I was ready to go up in front of theses people since churches here in the villages are always less then 10 people, and plus I know the sermon now. I was set to go!
However, I did not know I was going to be a translator of a whole sermon that I have never even heard. I was really nervous because my Spanish has been really rusty from not speaking it as much. Plus I get really nervous when I have to talk in front of a whole bunch of people. So, at the first church it went ok and we got the message through and touched some lives through it. Then after leaving that church I was so exhausted, so we all got on the truck and came down the mountain for lunch. After that I really did not want to go to the next church. I felt really nervous about going and speaking again in front of people. The one of the girls form the other team gave me a letter of encouragement and it warmed my heart. I felt like I was ready to go up in front of theses people since churches here in the villages are always less then 10 people, and plus I know the sermon now. I was set to go!
After an hour of travel and holding on for our lives we got to the church at the peak of the mountain. I got off the truck and thanked God for my life, ahahahaha... Seriously! Then I looked around at the beautiful people of the village and started to greet them with "Dios te Bendiga" which means God bless you (it's a Latin thing). There were no 10 people!! I would say over 20 people plus kids. I started to get even more nervous!! Ayeeee! But I started to fall in love with the people there. They were so sweet and humble. Most of them did not even have shoes on them or clean clothes. All the kids were so dirty with torn clothes. I loved it more that they looked like that because I saw even more beauty in them. They were gorgeous!
As we started to walk in our entire group sat down we saw even more people come in. But then we noticed that we (girls) were sitting on the guy's side, good times! So, the pastor welcomed us and called us to the front to sing two songs and then we sat down and the person is our group that was going to preach had to go up, so that means me too. I really wanted to run out at that time. There were so many people!! So, the Warren (person preaching) starts to talk and says "I had a sermon ready for you all, but God is asking me to preach on something else." My heart dropped! I was like oooh CRAP! No he was changing the sermon on me! NO good! Translation in Spanish can be very hard because most things that you say in English don't mean the same thing in Spanish. You must know the sermon before hand in order to translate it.
All I could say is Lord get me through this! He was faithful! The sermon was about how sometimes we are so broken a hurt by people, friends, family, etc... Also that God is always with us. Just in case you wanted to know. Then we asked people to come up to the front that needed prayer and needed their hearts healed. We had lots of people start to come up. The broken hearted, sick, hopeless, etc... We were able to lay hands over them. I went to the first person and she needed healing, so prayed for healing. But, I felt like I had to move on and the next person needed healing and I prayed for healing. I still felt like God wanted me to go to the next person so I did.
I came upon this young girl that had a deep cry. I stopped and laid hands over here while my friend Leigh was praying over her as well. Then God spoke to me and asked to tell her that He loved her and that He had huge plans for her. I started to pray that out loud and speak truth into her. Then I lifted he head and wiped some of her tears and told her that God loved her so much. I told her that he brought me here to speak to her. I told her that God had big plans for her. Then she started to tell me that she was lonely. That she was told that she was worthless. She had no hope. She was living in darkness. She was not loved. I told her that she is God's creation and that she is made perfect in his eyes. That she is his princess. I told her that God sent his only son to die for her and that she worth beyond anything that she could ever dram of. I told her to stop letting Satan put those lies in her head. That Satan was putting those lies in her head because God is going to do huge things in her life. I just started to speak truth and light into her life. To tell you the truth I would have not been able to say what I said if it was not for God. As I looked at her I felt her pain and I started to cry with her. I gave her a hug and told her that I loved her. My heart went out to this girl, but my heart also broke for her.
As I stopped hugging her and got up from my knees I had to run outside and just cry. I fell in love with that girl. After the service I went up to her and talked to her some more. She told me about her brother that was killed 2 months ago and how he was her support. She came to God because of him. He was the only Christian in her family. No one in her family was Christian and she did not have that support towards her walk with the Lord. She said that she has been really mad at God because he took her brother away. She hated God. I told her that God used her brother to bring her to Him and now the big plans will be complete through her. Also that her brother is in a much better place and we should rejoice as he is in heaven. I also shared how no one in my family is Christian and how I don't have that support too. Also, how my father died. I was able to relate to her in so many ways. God had placed me there at that moment to speak to Rachel.
It was an honor to be beside Rachel and the work God did her through that day. As we left in the truck everyone from the church followed us and she was one of them. I could see her face glowing with joy as we left.
I am so happy to be here and so what I love. I get to speak truth and encourage people in their walk with the Lord. I am so unworthy, but God has chosen me WOW! Thank you Lord. Also thank you to all my supporters how have brought me here to do God's work. You are part of ministering to the different people who have come into my life and that will. Thank you!
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