As a missionary, we are many times asked what do we do in Mexico? The answer seems small enough but the answer is often times, more than you think. Our first basic call is simple obedience to what God has put in-front of us today. It doesn't matter where you live in the world, if you are not walking in obedience the rest of what you do becomes your own effort and have an appearance of someone who has it all together. Yet when our flesh takes the liberty to come alive again, the flesh takes control of every aspect and dictates how you go about things. I say all this to say, that my flesh wants to know that what we are doing is worth it. It is the part of me that wants to say I am doing a good job. That is not what should be driving me on. It is simple obedience and being faithful to what God has given me to do that matters. When you deal with people you have to choose sometimes to love. I know many of you know a guy by the name of German. He is one of these kids who I have been trying to love over the past two years. I find at times it is difficult. He will come to La Roca in Sunday evenings which is great. Before we open on Sunday evenings, it takes anywhere from an hour to two hours to get it ready after church. Everyone comes and helps out. With many hands make light work. So when German shows up this past Sunday, he came before hand and said he was not going to work that night. I have no problem with this. Everyone is a volunteer and you get food if you work. I still need God's grace. It just irked me that he would sit there while everyone else is sweeping up the floors, mopping, cleaning tables off, cutting up fruit for crepes and waffles and various other things we need to get La Roca ready. I asked him to leave and come back after we are done cleaning. It is moments like this, I realize more and more how much I still need to grow. He did leave and come back. Before the night begins we have a little meeting where we pray for opportunities to bring people to Christ and talk about various details. As my wife has encouraged me many times to be clear in what I am thinking and communicate it, I shared some of my thoughts. I did speak to German beforehand about coming and helping out and if he was not going to work that night if he could come after 7 when we open. The night was a normal night One of our slower night as most of September is that way with everyone going back to school and paying for all the things that go into that. After the evening was done we all pitch in and clean up. After everything was done, everyone decided to sit down for a little while. Not something I want to do, at 12:30 AM. I guess it was pastor's appreciation day. So they all said a little something. Now you maybe are wondering why I am taking such a long time to explain all this? Well, when it came to German's turn, while everyone was laughing about something someone said, all he said was, "Seriously Andy, I love you." WOW!!!!!! After two years, of saying this to him, having him do things that just drive me nuts, but choosing to love him unconditionally and tell him that I loved him, trying to give him hugs whenever I saw him, all that time, comes to this moment where he expresses something so simple yet so profound. Coming from a person who may have never had a man say to him "I love you". It is all worth the effort. Even though my flesh desires become prideful about the things that I do, to God be the glory. I know I am not perfect yet God can use me to reach HIS sheep like German. We are His hands, His feet, His ears, and His mouth. He uses us.
