The Barrio that Broke Me... And the God Who Gave Me Strength

 There was a murmur that this first "barrio" my unsure feet would walk was a bit unsafe.  I am not exactly what you would call brave, so fear began to creep in to those places I thought I had turned over to Him when I signed up for this adventure. Every reason I had argued with myself about coming here was playing out again in my head.

The van dropped us off at the plant church, we had a time of training as we met our "nationals" and waited on our police escorts (very nice to have these guys around) and then there we were walking up the street knocking on the first door.  I thought we would be with a veteran team for a bit in the morning to observe and get used to this process (you know "stay in the shadows") if you call being across the street knocking on a different door with us then yes, they were with us.

Here we (the national, my translator and me ) were knocking on the first door and there was no shadow to hide in anywhere!  A young girl answered with a girl who seemed to be a younger sister by her side.  As we spoke to this sweet girl we found out this younger girl was actually her daughter.  This young mom stood tight against the doorway, talking as if it was pleasant to speak with two nice people who were being kind to her, but she stayed pretty guarded pretty closed.  We began to share the gospel with her and tell her how much God loves her and sent Jesus to this earth and the cross for her.  She began to release from the frame of the door a bit.  We continued to speak of God's love for her. You could see this look in her eyes, a sparkle that perhaps life had put out a long time ago, start to flicker at the thought of being truly loved by God who created the universe.  She raised her arm so we could see the goosebumps that just spread up her arm, Nayib (my translator) and I showed her the goosebumps that raced up our arms.  She made a profession of faith right then, goosebumps and all!

That is when it all got exciting and real at the same time. God was opening my eyes to see life as I could not imagine it from my cozy life lived mostly in a bubble.  God was giving me a heart for very young moms and children who faced more struggles in a day than I will in a lifetime. Yet God was giving me courage to talk to people I would never just walk up and start chatting with.  Mostly God gave me Words that made each conversation so much more than a chat!

We spoke to so many that morning.  Many were young girls with little ones around or on the way, a few were older and hardened by this life, several were gang members who would let us know their buddy needed to "hear this" more than they did. No matter who it was my heart longed for them to really hear.  Hear that it is ONLY through the blood of Jesus on the cross that they can be saved.  Many of them "know" the story, but still think they must xyz or must not 123.  One obvious gang member told us he would go to Heaven when he died because all the good things and serving he had done. I think we walked through the full gospel three times with him!

After a few hours of seeing things I had never seen, being in total awe of God and His plan, and presenting the full gospel at least 20 times it was time to head back to the church for lunch.  While we were there there were a few kids at the church.  They were there simply because the door was open.  I pray to never to forget their faces and their eyes! They just wanted to be loved! This little one, she just stood beside where I was sitting. I just put my arm around her and smiled at her.  She stood there just to be held for quite a while. 

This little guy would smile and dart off just to return a few minutes later grinning from ear to ear.  Before he left I think he ran over and hugged me three times.  So sweet, so longing for love.

Loving the kids. that is where the guy below in yellow comes in.  His number of trips I believe is in the forties now.  His heart is far from counting the number of trips or even the number of kids.  This man has a balloon ministry.  He presents that gospel in ways that capture young and old alike with balloons, a giant kids evang-E-cube, stories, bracelets... This barrio was special in that kids were everywhere and roamed about pretty freely.  At one point we counted eighty faces focused on "Rich the Balloon Man" as he poured out his love, Jesus' love to these precious kids.  As we walked down the street at the end of the day to meet our van and head out of the barrio many of these children literally hung onto Rich, his backpack, any part of him they could touch, just to have the connection even for a minute. 

That afternoon we returned to knocking door to door to spread the gospel message to those God had already prepared to hear it.  There seemed to be a different feel in the afternoon.  Many more gang member type were opening their doors, perhaps waking a bit more as the hours multiplied.  We were able to have some really good conversations about how it is Jesus, only Jesus.  Many prayed, when we pointed them to the church and asked them to meet us at 5:00 there was a sudden let down.  Apparently the gang influence was pretty thick and there was an invisible line drawn that kept people on one side or the other.  If the church happened to be on the other side, too bad, there was no way they could risk it to go.  The heaviness of that was almost too much.  We kept going and though the invisible line thing was repeated and confirmed many times we know God already knew about that line.  God knows each of the precious kids, who are 80 to 100 strong at the church on a regular basis and that they can apparently cross that line.  We are praying for those kids, the younger generation to be raised up to know Jesus' blood covers that line.  

The heaviness as we wrapped up Monday evening was too much.  As we sat in the church a mob of kids looked in at us, the look in their eyes I don't believe was for the food the church had prepared for us out of appreciation. (Though they did also allow all the kids to come in for a snack!)   It was a look of wanting to connect with these people (mainly Rich the Balloon Man) that had spread a little hope, who had walked into places that don't see many visitors speaking of love for them.  I broke into a flat out ugly cry and to be honest it took most of the evening to run out of tears.  Mark asked me that night if knowing what I knew from the day, would I have come on the trip.  My honest response was, "Please don't ask  me now.  Ask me tomorrow."

Tuesday morning at 6:30  during our morning prayer time God showed me He had done a great work on my heart.  I was not afraid to go back.  He reminded me that He had gone before us and prepared this work ahead of us.  He did not ask me to travel to a different continent to be shut down after one day.  He had already given me strength, words, boldness, obvious signs that He was working.  It was as if He just said, "I am here, working with you, you get to be a part of this just hold on for the ride!"

Tuesday we were at the same barrio.  Just a few streets over the oppression seemed a bit less.  One home inparticular stood out to me.  What seemed to be the closest thing to a family structure we had seen yet opened the door.  A man in about his forties had a great conversation with us, he prayed to receive Jesus' gift as his young daughters looked on.  That was great hope to me.  I pray this man makes a difference in his barrio and that will spread street by street crossing the invisible lines.

In the afternoon Corey the chalk artist was assigned to our team.  We moved to a very busy intersection, he began to set up and draw, crowds began to gather. We shared the gospel.

We talked to so many people.  Many of their faces are vague memories at this point.  However there was one early twenty-something, it is not his face that is clear in my memory, it is the question he asked, "Why do I do this?" and the sight of his chest with fresh gashes.  For a minute I had no idea how to respond, earlier in my life I would have passed out right there.  But I heard one of our pastors speak about this once as a student asked him a similar question.  It flooded back, "You can feel the love of God so much deeper than you feel the pain when you do that to yourself."  Then we were able to speak with him for quite a while on that busy corner about the God who formed his body loving Him beyond the pain.  He did pray that day, I still pray for him today that even if he didn't get it all right then a seed may have been planted that will grow into a love for God and appreciation for Jesus and His sacrifice.

  

We headed back to the church and gathered the team to present all of the follow up information to the pastor of the mother church.  This is what makes e3partners so amazing.  Every team has a national that makes contact at each initial meeting, every door and every heart that is knocked on a national who is planting that church greets them.  Then the church that is doing the work to plant and grow right there in the barrio is given the follow up information and prayer requests so they can make contact and build relationships.  Without this step our going would be worthless.

We had about 154 follow up sheets to present to the pastor and her team.  To see the joy and responsibility received as they took the pile of papers was overwhelming.

They were so appreciative of each one who knocked on doors, prayed with folks, spilled out love in this barrio.

Only because of hope in God and the seeds He allowed us to plant, the nationals to water, we know and trust He will grow them up for Him and His kingdom.

Wednesday brings about a new barrio...