Be a Night Light.
The screams were heard from our friend’s bagel shop. Our friend, the owner of the shop, went to investigate. He called me over to translate. I hesitated, but then I realized perhaps it was someone who needed a doctor or an ambulance. When I reached the figure slumped on some stairs, I could hear him mumbling. His face had tattoos, and his tattered look showed a rough lifestyle. He was in pain and mentioned someone giving him something - drugs? I couldn’t understand what.
“How can we help? Water? Hospital?” I said.
Then he said, “I’m just going to take my life.”
Almost before I could process, out of my mouth came, “No. In the name of Jesus, you still have life and purpose.”
The mumbling continued but with restraint, trying to hold back rage, until he began to curse God. Calling him a bad Father. He cursed the Holy Spirit, saying that would ensure his damnation because that is the unforgivable sin.
“So, he knows something about scripture,” I thought. An unanchored fragment that brought him little hope and even more determination to pull away from a new beginning.
He said other things toward God that I shouldn’t repeat, and by this time, Freedom came and stood with me. If soundwaves can be felt and seen, I felt and saw them flowing from his mouth. Yet all I could do was remain still and smile. I smiled at the boy within the man—the boy who was abandoned and taken advantage of, all the while he blamed God for all the evil done to him. He walked away.
There was no fear, only compassion. It was surprising. Have you ever felt surprised by the amount of compassion you have felt over a situation? When all reason would tell you to back away, to give up on someone, to save yourself. Yet you keep on believing, hoping, and loving. Perhaps this is what these verses are talking about:
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:6-7
I think it is the life and light of Jesus that abides in us, causing us to feel the heartbeat of a loving and good God. He is still becoming flesh in this world through his people. May we allow his love to overcome fear and let us be a night light for those who are wrestling and groping around in darkness.
Ministry News
Thankfully we are getting all the rain needed and the reservoirs are at capacity with the electricity back to normal.
Ecuador recently had elections and although there was not a definitive decision made, and voting takes place again in April, everything was peaceful. Being an Ecuadorian citizen, I had to travel to the South of Quito where my family used to live and vote there. It was quite an experience. The streets were filled with the smells of food, and entire roasted pigs were on display for the people in the neighborhood who came out to vote, early in the morning.
Since late September, Freedom and I have been traveling to three ministry sites each week to teach Art and English classes. We also have been assisting with the teens on Fridays and Sundays. We have also had the opportunity to bless missionaries in our home. We recently hosted a baby shower for a fellow missionary, with about 40 guests! We were also able to host the staff of End Slavery with a Sabbath time of pottery making.
As we near Spring, Freedom and I are realizing that, thanks to the Lord, SmartBox is growing. Each year I remind our recipient sites that we are only able to provide our educational kits as the Lord provides. And the Lord has provided! This is in large part due to a campaign called Spend Less to Give More, from our sending church, Cumberland Community Church, that runs each November and through the holiday season.
Starting in April, we will be scaling back from visiting sites to start initiating Project SmartBox effectively. We see something interesting happening. Our calendar year is naturally being split in half with about 6 months of visiting sites weekly and 6 months prepping SmartBox hosting events and missionaries. We think this is great. It gives us a connection to our sites but also allows us to serve them in other ways, like murals, art events with visiting teams, and SmartBox distribution.
Ministry Site Updates
Hugs! Hugs! Hugs!
I think by now the kids at our sites know that we are there to love and encourage them. It is very common for kids to run to us and fling themselves into the air to hug us. Thankfully, the ones that do this are small and easily caught! But even the older kids are starting to come for a hug. We have even noticed some teenagers lingering after classes just to talk. We know that our time is limited. Summer is quickly approaching and we don’t shy away from sharing the Gospel and scripture each time we are with our groups. There have been several people we know this year who have lost loved ones. How meaningful are the final words and actions of an eternal soul? We want to take every opportunity to share eternal truths and be very diligent in showcasing the love of God with urgency because time is so very short and precious.
Praise
In January, Freedom was able to travel to the States to take care of our house in Georgia and visit with our sons.
We have been kept safe in all our travels throughout Quito.
We have had some great connections with kids, teens, and staff at our sites.
SmartBox funding has grown and we can serve more kids this summer.
In addition to Spend Less to Give More, we have received generous financial support from the Larson Foundation and The Stonehaven School.
Prayer
It seems that the sale of our house is on pause for now as we look to move Freedom’s mother into our basement apartment. Pray for a blessed transition and that God will continue to provide for us to be able to keep the house.
Our son, Jonathan, decided to stay in Kentucky and continue working for now. He has applied to the University of Cincinnati and we are hoping that he gets into the Fashion program. Please pray that he will feel encouragement and peace in this waiting season.
Our son Joshua is working hard and maintaining himself amidst such a high cost of living. Please pray for safety and continued provision.
Kayla is surrounded by English speakers. We are very thankful for her group of friends but would like for her to learn a little more Spanish. Please pray that she will branch out to make connections when we are at the sites, as those are great opportunities for her. In short, we pray for Spanish-speaking friends for Kayla.
Imago Dei: Freedom is called to do street painting. He would like to sit with people in the street and paint their portraits. We have labored in prayer over this for years and we continue to do so, waiting on the Holy Spirit to put the pieces of this initiative together.
