Today we went to Cuenca to get some last minute supplies for next week's Vacation Bible School. While there, we also had a chance to meet and visit with a young couple that we are hoping to connect our ministry with in the future. They lead a Bethel type school of supernatural ministry in Cuenca as well as two side businesses. When I first walked in their house I worried that they were too "high class" for me and that because of that, we wouldn't be able to mesh (because I am so not High class material!). However, after a few moments my fears were proved to be unfounded and from what I experienced today, I can honestly say they are super quality people! Not only did we get to enjoy a nice meal with them (one they prepared for us I might add), but we also got to share our ministry with them and listen to them speak into our lives.
To be honest, I am pretty skeptical about supernatural things. It's not that I don't believe that God works that way in this day and age, it's just that in my life time I have seen "supernatural" things go so off track and it's made me a little hard of heart in accepting everything supernatural at face value. Yet today, our new friends shared some words from God for each of us... basically they prophesied over us... and what they said to me really hit home.
These past few months have been some of the hardest of my life. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my time here and all that I am doing, but living on the missions field is hard and it's been extremely lonely for me... especially this past year. I could sugar coat it, but in reality, I've longed for my friends and family and that sense of community I started to form in the states before I left. And I have felt so...very... alone.
One of the things our new friends shared with me today was that they felt like from the moment I walked into their house God was saying to me that I'm never alone. I can't tell you how much I needed to hear that! It was like a breath of fresh air. A solid reminder that God sees me and He's with me. I'm NOT alone. I needed that. More than I can say, I needed that. They also shared some other things that they sensed were from God for me and it was just such an encouragement to me, especially as I start looking towards where I think God is leading me next.
Sometimes I feel like I am a shadow dweller. Like I am here on earth, trying to hear from God and walk out His will in a way that honors Him, but nobody really sees me (not even God). I feel like I'm plodding on and plodding on, taking one step at a time, but I don't really know if what I am doing matters or makes any difference. Today I received the encouragement to keep moving forward, to keep trusting God and to give Him even more space to move in my life.
I hope that someday I can be the kind of person that offers this kind of encouragement to others. I want to be the kind of person that so exudes Jesus that when people hang out with me, they feel like they have encountered God and received exactly what they needed from Him. That's what our new friends did for me today. I went to have lunch with strangers and ended up not only with new friends, but having met with Jesus....and it was exactly what I needed!
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