I learned that God can use anything to touch people’s hearts for the gospel. I served in Spain at a children’s camp where I did anything from cleaning bathrooms to washing dishes to leading games and activities to singing and dancing like a fool so others campers would feel comfortable and included.
I worked with girls like Maria, who loved being with her camp friends and tagged along, but had a soft heart compared to the others. One night, we talked about having a relationship with God, and Maria asked what that relationship looked like. There is a tiny seed planted in her heart.
There was Alex, who saw her friends reading their Bibles, and the Holy Spirit touched her heart. I asked if she had a relationship with Jesus, and she told me she wasn’t sure. I was able to talk and pray with her about how she could know and live in the love of God. There is another tiny seed planted.
One week at the end of camp, my teammate said that our ministry was like bringing droplets of water into a desert place. Wherever we go, we bring Jesus who is the Living Water to people who may have never heard of the love of Jesus. That is the beauty of ministry. We live, love and serve others, and they taste and see God’s love through us. And that was what this summer in Europe was all about. The Great Commission is to live and walk alongside people, whether sharing Jesus with someone for the first time or with someone who has walked with God for years, no matter where they are in their relationship with God. I am called to walk alongside them and point them to Jesus, for the short or long time I have with them. I learned that it is God’s work that changes lives, and it is not dependent on my presence in Spain. But I am full of faith that God will complete the work he started in those lives that tasted the Living Water in their dry and barren souls.
My prayer this whole summer has been calling out the faithfulness of God in my life and those lives that I have touched. The Lord has to keep reminding me that He does all the work, and I am simply called to listen and obey. We might have our plan, an idea of how our lives might unfold, but God might have a different plan, and I can trust him that it’s for my good. I have to be honest and say it was a hard summer for me, but the Lord has given me these little gems to treasure of the work He did through me. I am so thankful and overwhelmed by Jesus’ love for me and for the people of Europe. I would challenge you to ask the Lord how he could use you to further his Kingdom in Europe.
“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad. Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negeb! Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” Psalm 126
– Clarissa Harvey
Ten2 Participant, L'Arcada Camp, Spain