Washtenaw Blessed
April 10, 2008
I had two amazing experiences today. The first was when I saw Jenny Velker praying with Ms. Iris, a blind woman in a wheelchair. Ms. Iris praised the Lord in a loud voice when she learned Jenny was a fellow Pentecostal. The two prayed for each other while sitting on the balcony at the infirmary (elderly home).
My second favorite moment occurred on a patio overlooking the ocean where two nurses and several patients sat watching a cricket game on a 13” television. The nurses began singing with us, What a Mighty God We Serve. The man next to me sang a completely different song. We all finished our songs at the same time, and he gave a hearty “Amen!” at the end. Even though he was crippled, he was so filled with joy. We sang several songs, learning new ones from the nurses. The whole room was filled with praise. I will never forget how much love and joy was manifest through God’s people.
Nothing could have prepared us for the love that we felt from the residents. We prayed for each individual. No one rejected us. They gave the Lord such reverence.
Our group has been learning so much. First, how we cannot avoid things that are difficult because the Lord uses these things to make us into the people He desires.
Second, every time we think we are going to bless a community, young or old, we end up with the greater blessing in the end. They teach us how to keep the faith, to be still and know God, and to have joy in the midst of great suffering. We are forever changed. We are forever challenged to seek the Lord, to look for His coming, and to pray for brethren all over the world.
This afternoon our group went sightseeing through the mountainous rainforest. Wild banana trees speckled the lush hillsides.
With great anticipation, we drove up a palm tree covered mountain range to a beautiful secure girls facility that overlooks the ocean. The young ladies were 13-18 years of age. Each filled with love and extreme kindness. We gave gifts of love that have been collected by WCA over the last months.
The administration was accommodating to our group and allowed us to interrupt their structured day.
We prepared to face paint, however, the girls wanted to paint our faces instead. Tenae, one of the young ladies, asked, “Would you like me to paint on you?” She mixed several colors and brush stroked a heart on my wrist adding the words God Loves You.
We quietly talked about school, art and friends. She asked me about my family; if I was happy in the U.S.; and if I loved Jesus like her. She created a master piece on my heart. Great compassion swept over me as I looked into her eyes. A soul I will meet again in Heaven, no doubt.
We concluded our time at the girls centre with praise. After singing, Our God is an Awesome God, they taught us a melody of hymns with a three count beat. It was a glorious moment in my life.
One humorous anecdote was when I was offered sugar cane. The sweetened bamboo cane was peeled with a medium size machete knife and then broken into small pieces. While teachers, administrators, and students watched, I bit off a large chunk, chewed the moist sweet cane and thought to myself,” What am I going to do with this wad?” So I proceeded to swallow it.
One teacher tried to stop me, “No, no! You don’t swallow! Watch me.” She bit a large chunk and then spit the shoot into a pot. Good to know for next time.
~Lori M
