Monday, March 2, 2009

Mission Trip Day 5 (Mar 2)- Avaroa, El Alto

Another opportunity to evangelize door to door has me dreading the morning. Though every time we have gone out to evangelize, in whatever manner, on this mission trip has been incredible, I still doubt that God will do the talking, I still doubt that any difference will be made, and I still trust that I will look like a fool. I am sent out with Ronald and Ruben, and we immediately start knocking on doors. There is more hesitancy here in the city as there is more crime in El Alto. People seem more willing to talk to us on the streets than in their homes, but when they hear who we are and that we are inviting them to the program in the plaza tonight, they seem more friendly.

As we near a corner under construction, I notice many women chatting, so I start an open invitation to all of them. We pass out the papers the church gave us, and talk to the women. A woman comes out of her store on the corner, and I quickly go over to her to hand her a flyer. After my invitation, she tells me that she is in pain from a long-lasting sickness, and she asks us to pray for her. Gladly, we pray for her, but that isn’t all she wants. She tells us of her mother and father, who are old, sick, and stuck in bed upstairs. Can we come pray for them as well? Sure! We go in to find a man in one bed and a woman in another, neither one speaks much if any Spanish. Ruben knows a little bit of Aymara, so he speaks a bit. I hold the woman’s hand as we begin praying for them. I notice my hand is freezing, so I pray that God will warm my hand as a physical sign of his presence and warmth. Shortly, my left hand is still freezing, but my right hand in hers is practically on fire! Cool, God…cool! As we leave, knowing they could use daily encouragement and we won’t be available to give it to them, the woman asks us to pray for her daughter as well, and hands us a soda from her store. Thank you God, for proving my doubts are worthless once again.

We have a program for the Compassion students at this school in the afternoon, and then I spend some time with the girl working in the library. What I anticipated to be a simple greeting as I passed by became an opportunity to make a new friend and encourage a new Christian. I must admit, I think she encouraged me more than I encouraged her. Another surprise encounter reminds me about God’s goodness.

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