La Vega, one hour outside of Bogota
Pacto Belen Children’s Ministry
Saturday, June 02, 2007

I learned something about myself the last couple of days—I’m changing. Thursday night at 7pm, the director, who has been disrespectful especially to the foreigners since the beginning of the school, told me and Jessica that we were going to the ministry NOW. Jessica was upset but I kept my cool and calmly asked her for a couple hours so we could finish getting ready and so I could keep my call date with my dad. She said fine, but at 8pm said she hadn’t understood me. Well, I talked to my dad and then we left at 9pm in a taxi, arrived at 9:30 at another ministry, and left around 5:30am to La Vega, a town an hour outside of town, where we will be working in a children’s ministry for the month of June (until the 27th). It is beautiful here and we should get one day a week off to go to a nearby pool and Internet and eat out and rest. The lady in charge of our practicum told us we would be in a room together and not in the house with a staff that is immature and unchristian. Guess where I am? When we arrived, the director of the two houses told us we would be split up. Jessica could not handle being in this house with this staff girl, who is not here this weekend due to our complaint. So I am here. I told the director that our leader had promised to not put either of us here and I would try and if I couldn’t handle it, I would let her know. She said that’s fine. This is the house with the younger boys and the 4 girls, which is fine with me. On Friday upon arriving, I prayed with them, played with them, and helped them with chores. So for now I’m fine.

Today I realized that my call and work requires many sacrifices and death to the flesh. If I trust in God’s love for me and allow Him to love through others, He will complete things in me that would lack if I had chosen to not obey His call. Jesus Himself for a time left His comfortable country and chose a difficult life to bring love. God sent Him and He obeyed. And because of His obedience, many were touched and changed. God has called me to the same, to let Him love through me, so that 1) I will be complete and 2) others will be touched and changed. It is a life of sacrifice, but also of blessing. I am happy and know that in God’s love for me, He will give me the desires of my heart—in marriage, work, children, travel. I love Him and want to worship and serve Him, in this month, and for the rest of my life.

So I’m learning and growing. I’m thankful for the work that God is doing in me—what He has started and called me to, He will finish and give me the strength to do. Please pray for me over these next 3 weeks here at La Vega—for peace, patience, self-control, love, gentleness—hahaha—well, that I will walk in the fruit of the Spirit! And for rest and concentrated times with the Lord, to meditate on His transforming Word and to hear His voice in my heart. Thank you. Blessings!

The poem The Real World was inspired by a book I am reading called Nothing But a Thief, the Street and her Children, by Danielle Speakman. If you want to understand the life and needs of street children and really all of us, I highly encourage this book.