“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (
Isaiah 55:10, 11).
The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
I thought of this scripture yesterday as we walked into a little poverty stricken area where it is mostly controlled by bandits and drug lords.
We had divided up into teams to hand out tracts but my “close” helpers knew where I wanted to go. Yes, to the deepest darkest dungeon of sin that could be found in there.
I asked Brother Alvear to drive Sister Edilene and I around the humble little streets in search of the poorest and most dangerous area. (Of course he is not always as enthused as I am in to be these places but he knows how I deeply love these kind of people.)
We went down the back areas…saw the crack addicts, the little boys playing soccer in an open space the wine.o’s already passed out in front of the tiny bars……my heart beat faster. I imagined them eating a warm bowl of soup, reading a tract perhaps at some point humming a church song. I called one of the boys over and said to him, “ I am a missionary, do you think I could bring soup to you all”? He looked me over probably wondering if we was part of some undercover police looking for something.…I showed him pictures from another village of us taking soup and giving out clothes…
Yes. Of course you can come he said…. just make sure it is daytime it too dangerous at night for you to be here.
Brother Alvear (much more practical than me) After the guy got out of hearing distance said, Just how are you going to make more soup since you seldom have enough for “the Babies.” (Our name for the children we work with).
Oh, We will put more water in it and stretch it! I could thicken it with a little flour or whatever…and I will keep asking on face book of course…my husband laughed…and said, you are one of a kind…
Since I don’t like to shop I guess that makes me different…lol…People spend a lot of money on dying decaying bodies while eternal souls perish without hearing the gospel.
We found our daughter Becky and her friend that we had left off in another area...her eyes were shinning, “Mother, get out of the car someone wants to meet you down this shady alley.” As I got out, She whispered to me, “Mother, it is someone you will love, her husband is a drug lord but right now he is in prison and she runs his business...We hurried down the alley. I had a little bag of candy I handed out to some of the people that were staring (alter all who of any importance would come to a place like this? (their thinking) Candy Always brings smiles; little packs of M& M’s...jellybeans.... ummmm....
I said to my daughter...you know what these places are really? She said no, mother...I said these places are the long ago Jericho Road…a place of suffering and agony…a place where the priests walk to the other side…afraid to touch a dead body and miss out on the glory of being seen in the pulpit… a place where the Levite passes on the other side…maybe afraid it might cost him something (remember the Levites took care of money). We must be the Good Samaritan…we must dirty our hands, we must hug them, wipe away their sweat, hand them a piece of candy, and bring them a bowl of soup…. Just let them know we care…
The Jericho Road is always before us. Our teacher said, Lift up your eyes…look….
The Jericho Road is a place where people are robbed; children are molested. Little 12 year old girls give births to babies they have no idea how to take care of them for they too are still babies!
Drug dealing, arms and smuggling gangs, controls a place where humans are robbed of their dignity, a world of violence and crime. A place where they learn young to stab and kill and only the strong survive.
It is a bleak and destitute place for anyone but especially children…A place of suffering and oppression. Yet He said…the well need not a physician but the sick…
I see nothing wrong with the beautiful buildings, the plush carpet, the padded pews, whatever..Is offered to our Lord. After all He is worthy of all! However the real sign of a Christian, James said is: Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. Jesus said in Matt. 25:v34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
So may we never forget where to find HIM….He who told the 12 to take nothing for their first journey except a walking stick and a single tunic (
Mark 6:8-9).
May God help us to see the world through His eyes.
Reaching into new villages requires work and funds. It is my prayer as you read this God will place us upon your hearts to help support this ministry every month.
Like Sister Agnes Holmes once said, we may not can feed the world but we can feed God's people....As you help us we will try to help them be God's people!
Sister Alvear
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