It was sunny and breezy, with clear skies like a beautiful spring day in Georgia. It was a Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday afternoons mean Outreach. To be honest I thought it would be just like any other Wednesday afternoon: go out and pray, talk to a few people, visit some familiar homes of people we’ve talked to before and go back to La Iglesia. But thank goodness, God had something different in store.
We all went to the church and sat in a circle and began to talk. Each of us expressed different opinions about our feelings on the type of Outreach we were doing. Some called it awkward, others explained how it wasn't “how they operated.” As a result of our input, we were challenged to examine our hearts. We were told how we were being stretched in a different way and how God was growing us.
“Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord…” ~Lamentations 3:40
After talking giving our input, we all got on our knees and prayed. Some people prayed out loud, others prayed quietly. Some prayed that He would open the hearts of those we would talk to, others prayed that their own hearts be opened and burdened for the lost. I expressed my need for Him in this type of ministry, because I’m bad at small talk, that I needed Him to provide the words to flow from my mouth. Man, He did all that and more.
After praying, we broke up into groups. Some went to the park to do ministry and others went to the streets. Sherri, Faith (a new intern for the church!), and I went to a house of a woman we have been talking to for few weeks. When we got to the house, she answered and we started talking. She speaks English very well, she spent 40 years in the states. She asked us how we were doing and the conversation flowed. After maybe 5 minutes she invited us to come in, and the three of us followed in behind her.
The houses in El Salvador are very different than the states. There is a gap between the front door and...the front door (no typo). There is a door that opens to the street, then a garden like area, and then another door that opens to the actual house. After following in behind her, she showed us her garden that wrapped about halfway around the house. She showed us baby cauliflower, basil, rosemary, and monkey tail cactus. Then she took us inside her actual house and offered us tea. While the tea was boiling, she took us to her back patio area, which also contained a garden. Back there she grew mint, and peppers. Her mint smelled magnificent. She also showed us her four turtles and her two cats. After our brief tour, we sat down and began talking about the culture here. She even brought a map of El Salvador out and told us information you could only get from a Salvadorean. She gave us brief history about the war in El Salvador and how Spain fought for the left side and the U.S. fought for the right side. She told us about her countless adventures around the world. She told us about places to visit here like: Cerro El Pital, Cerro Montecristo, Casa Blanca, Isla Zacatillo, Puerto Parada, and plenty more. She told us about her son that lives in Georgia. She even explained why Americans were called gringos. (Apparently when we were in the WWII in Europe. We had green uniforms in France and the French would yell out, “Green go! Green go! Green go!” As in go away, and so somehow we adopted the name gringo.) Conversation flowed and it flowed well. At some point during the conversation, tea and cookies were brought to us by her niece. She didn’t know the name of the tea, but it was loose tea that her friend brought from China. It tasted so good. The only reason the conversation stopped, was because Tanya (another church intern) came to get us, because we had been there so long, they thought something happened to us.
Jesus’ name was never mentioned at any point during the conversation. I know you’re like, “WHAT! How could you call it ministry if you never mention His name!” Ministry is about making relationships, not shoving the Gospel. This woman is an atheist. I believe she will accept Christ. I believe that God will do something amazing...in His time. There is nothing I can do, no magic words I can say, that will poof someone into believing. It takes time. If nothing else He is teaching me patience. There is something to be said about how great He is, because there is nothing I can do in my own power that can bring her to know Christ. Jesus has to open her heart. I can’t. This woman could’ve easily closed the door in our faces, but she didn’t. I came to Him with my need and He was faithful and will continue to be. This woman is so sweet. She reminds me of my grandmother, and I cannot wait for the day that she accepts Christ. I am even okay if it turns out to be that all that I’m doing is planting a seed. I’m just happy that I get to be a part of His plan.
We all went to the church and sat in a circle and began to talk. Each of us expressed different opinions about our feelings on the type of Outreach we were doing. Some called it awkward, others explained how it wasn't “how they operated.” As a result of our input, we were challenged to examine our hearts. We were told how we were being stretched in a different way and how God was growing us.
“Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord…” ~Lamentations 3:40
After talking giving our input, we all got on our knees and prayed. Some people prayed out loud, others prayed quietly. Some prayed that He would open the hearts of those we would talk to, others prayed that their own hearts be opened and burdened for the lost. I expressed my need for Him in this type of ministry, because I’m bad at small talk, that I needed Him to provide the words to flow from my mouth. Man, He did all that and more.
After praying, we broke up into groups. Some went to the park to do ministry and others went to the streets. Sherri, Faith (a new intern for the church!), and I went to a house of a woman we have been talking to for few weeks. When we got to the house, she answered and we started talking. She speaks English very well, she spent 40 years in the states. She asked us how we were doing and the conversation flowed. After maybe 5 minutes she invited us to come in, and the three of us followed in behind her.
The houses in El Salvador are very different than the states. There is a gap between the front door and...the front door (no typo). There is a door that opens to the street, then a garden like area, and then another door that opens to the actual house. After following in behind her, she showed us her garden that wrapped about halfway around the house. She showed us baby cauliflower, basil, rosemary, and monkey tail cactus. Then she took us inside her actual house and offered us tea. While the tea was boiling, she took us to her back patio area, which also contained a garden. Back there she grew mint, and peppers. Her mint smelled magnificent. She also showed us her four turtles and her two cats. After our brief tour, we sat down and began talking about the culture here. She even brought a map of El Salvador out and told us information you could only get from a Salvadorean. She gave us brief history about the war in El Salvador and how Spain fought for the left side and the U.S. fought for the right side. She told us about her countless adventures around the world. She told us about places to visit here like: Cerro El Pital, Cerro Montecristo, Casa Blanca, Isla Zacatillo, Puerto Parada, and plenty more. She told us about her son that lives in Georgia. She even explained why Americans were called gringos. (Apparently when we were in the WWII in Europe. We had green uniforms in France and the French would yell out, “Green go! Green go! Green go!” As in go away, and so somehow we adopted the name gringo.) Conversation flowed and it flowed well. At some point during the conversation, tea and cookies were brought to us by her niece. She didn’t know the name of the tea, but it was loose tea that her friend brought from China. It tasted so good. The only reason the conversation stopped, was because Tanya (another church intern) came to get us, because we had been there so long, they thought something happened to us.
Jesus’ name was never mentioned at any point during the conversation. I know you’re like, “WHAT! How could you call it ministry if you never mention His name!” Ministry is about making relationships, not shoving the Gospel. This woman is an atheist. I believe she will accept Christ. I believe that God will do something amazing...in His time. There is nothing I can do, no magic words I can say, that will poof someone into believing. It takes time. If nothing else He is teaching me patience. There is something to be said about how great He is, because there is nothing I can do in my own power that can bring her to know Christ. Jesus has to open her heart. I can’t. This woman could’ve easily closed the door in our faces, but she didn’t. I came to Him with my need and He was faithful and will continue to be. This woman is so sweet. She reminds me of my grandmother, and I cannot wait for the day that she accepts Christ. I am even okay if it turns out to be that all that I’m doing is planting a seed. I’m just happy that I get to be a part of His plan.