the only hope
the only hope is movement.
to sit across from my friend and watch him tell me how he has changed. that he no longer is angry all the time and hitting his kids. my heart leaps with joy but also fights the cry that goes up...what about the 24 other patriarchs in this camp? and the 399 other camps just.in.the.bekaa.
i am wired to delight in small breakthroughs. part of who i am. to love to bring revelation or challenge or new ideas and watch the lights come on.
and i want to celebrate every small detail.
but my dreaming heart, that heart that longs to see massive breakthrough, waves of healing, traumatized children healed and whole...moms able to love children into their destinies...knows that just one person changing is beautiful, but longs for it to be only the beginning.
thankfully, we see the wisdom in investing deep and long with people. Jesus gave us such a powerful model- invest in 12 and the world is changed.
so while the only hope is movement- people getting changed and changing others...i only have to invest in the ones right in front of me...to call out their destiny, encourage them to share...
this week i went to a new camp. it has 150 families with an average of 8 people per camp. I had some friends from church and we were just coming to pray and visit. This was our third stop and the ergo/carrying Hope option was not exactly working after she had napped and been strapped to me for over 2 hours.
I pull her out, and the kids come swarming. It is chaos and they all want to kiss her. I navigate the waters of trying to keep her a bit above the chaos and kisses and not being totally offensive. I internally check myself- was this a good decision? should i have come with Hope. Praying prayers of no sickness as i see the kids all around me with all types of colds and skin rashes.
I see a group of teenage girls standing to the side and see opportunity. I ask them what they are doing and tell them i want to visit them. they invite me in.
They hurry before me, around me giggling and flittering and it reminds me of teenagers anywhere. we sit down in their tent and they start asking questions. Some of them are too shy to talk and others are not able to stifle their curiosity so ask to their heart's content.
It's fun and silly and connecting. We talk about being changed by the love of Jesus and that is why we are here. I see a few of the girls lean in closer. They want to know what i am talking about. As i share my testimony of reaching a moment in my life that i was totally empty and lost and had nothing left...and i cried out to God...i see some sparks in their eyes. they lean in even closer. it is subtle but i can feel it... the palpable desperateness. the longing for heaven to touch earth, for God to touch us in our pit.
we move from that moments into small talk, but my heart feels linked to just a few of them. One of them leans into me and says - do you have a church i can go to? i went to one in syria and i loved it. i know i will need to come and visit.
It hits me again, if anyone is thirsty come to me, and He can have rivers of living water.
and Baby Hope squirms and chatters, reaches and gives grins away freely. i am pushed out of my thoughts into mothering and noticing her needs. I kiss on her and whisper that she has been such a good sport. and i also whisper prayer to the Father that the thing i could leave behind is curiosity...that their hearts would ponder my words long and hard. that when i see them again i would find young girls that are so.ready.for. that.moment.of.love.
to sit across from my friend and watch him tell me how he has changed. that he no longer is angry all the time and hitting his kids. my heart leaps with joy but also fights the cry that goes up...what about the 24 other patriarchs in this camp? and the 399 other camps just.in.the.bekaa.
i am wired to delight in small breakthroughs. part of who i am. to love to bring revelation or challenge or new ideas and watch the lights come on.
and i want to celebrate every small detail.
but my dreaming heart, that heart that longs to see massive breakthrough, waves of healing, traumatized children healed and whole...moms able to love children into their destinies...knows that just one person changing is beautiful, but longs for it to be only the beginning.
thankfully, we see the wisdom in investing deep and long with people. Jesus gave us such a powerful model- invest in 12 and the world is changed.
so while the only hope is movement- people getting changed and changing others...i only have to invest in the ones right in front of me...to call out their destiny, encourage them to share...
this week i went to a new camp. it has 150 families with an average of 8 people per camp. I had some friends from church and we were just coming to pray and visit. This was our third stop and the ergo/carrying Hope option was not exactly working after she had napped and been strapped to me for over 2 hours.
I pull her out, and the kids come swarming. It is chaos and they all want to kiss her. I navigate the waters of trying to keep her a bit above the chaos and kisses and not being totally offensive. I internally check myself- was this a good decision? should i have come with Hope. Praying prayers of no sickness as i see the kids all around me with all types of colds and skin rashes.
I see a group of teenage girls standing to the side and see opportunity. I ask them what they are doing and tell them i want to visit them. they invite me in.
They hurry before me, around me giggling and flittering and it reminds me of teenagers anywhere. we sit down in their tent and they start asking questions. Some of them are too shy to talk and others are not able to stifle their curiosity so ask to their heart's content.
It's fun and silly and connecting. We talk about being changed by the love of Jesus and that is why we are here. I see a few of the girls lean in closer. They want to know what i am talking about. As i share my testimony of reaching a moment in my life that i was totally empty and lost and had nothing left...and i cried out to God...i see some sparks in their eyes. they lean in even closer. it is subtle but i can feel it... the palpable desperateness. the longing for heaven to touch earth, for God to touch us in our pit.
we move from that moments into small talk, but my heart feels linked to just a few of them. One of them leans into me and says - do you have a church i can go to? i went to one in syria and i loved it. i know i will need to come and visit.
It hits me again, if anyone is thirsty come to me, and He can have rivers of living water.
and Baby Hope squirms and chatters, reaches and gives grins away freely. i am pushed out of my thoughts into mothering and noticing her needs. I kiss on her and whisper that she has been such a good sport. and i also whisper prayer to the Father that the thing i could leave behind is curiosity...that their hearts would ponder my words long and hard. that when i see them again i would find young girls that are so.ready.for. that.moment.of.love.
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