"He said He loves my joy.” Smiling she shared what she felt God was
saying to her. My heart rejoiced. It’s such a privilege to have some of the
women we otherwise meet in windows, come and encounter the voice of God in my
home. This week’s Bible study was good. One of the women came with so many
questions. She’d been watching movies about stories from the Bible and wanted
to understand. We took it from the beginning, reading how Adam and Eve’s choice
to disobey God’s instruction led them to separate themselves from God. “So
Jesus was kind of a second Adam?” she exclaimed when we shared about Jesus
taking our place. Such deep understanding of what He did. And joy in
understanding not just a religious concept, but a Truth that brings freedom-
for all.
We shared, explained, talked, laughed, listened, and prayed. It was truly
one of the “lasts” that made me wish it wasn’t the last. Technically it isn’t
totally the last; I hope to see them when I come back from Brazil for a bit. But
it is kind of a last, and it feels like a last.
I will miss it.
I will miss getting to know the hearts of these women and sharing in
their stories.
I will miss their uniqueness and seeing them discover their value.
I will miss their diligence in reading the Bible and hunger to learn.
I will miss their appreciation of my strong coffee.
I will miss their hugs and laughs.
I will miss their patience with my Spanish which is improving, but which
usually causes us to use googletranslate at least once to make sure we
understand each other.
And I will miss praying with them; inviting God to touch their lives and
show them His great love.
Missing means it meant something, and that is what I hold on to. Trusting
that Jesus will continue to shepherd their hearts and show them the Father’s
love.