First Baptist Church Statesville – Warmth

Emily is a member of one of the teams that served in Belize this summer. She graciously offered to to let us post a story that she shared with her congregation. We are continually blessed by the way that this team looks to Christ and the Bible as they serve. We hope you enjoy this story and rejoice with us!

The word “warmth” has become a common word in my vocabulary these past 7 days of my life. If you look up warmth in the dictionary you are given a multitude of definitions. One of th em being the quality, state, or sensation of being warm; moderate and comfortable heat. If you were wondering where my location has been this past week I was on a mission trip in Belize, which is located right near Mexico for all you non-geography individuals. The sun seemed a little closer and the sweat seemed to never cease.

It was hot, but the warmth we felt from the heat didn’t compare to the warmth that radiated from the open arms and love that permeated from the villagers in Cristo Rey. Some synonyms of the second definition of warmth are friendliness, affection, and enthusiasm. Those few words don’t even make a dent in all the adjectives I could use to describe the individuals that welcomed us into their lives. I could sit here and attempt to bottle up the emotions, memories, and high lights of the trip but my words wouldn’t do it justice and I would have a miniature book written by the time I started diving into the stories.

So let me just tell you one of my favorite memories of the trip that trace back to a man named Miguel. During the mission trip we would go on prayer walks throughout the village during the afternoon. We walked from house to house with Spanish Bibles in hand, gospel bracelets on wrists, and the Holy Spirit in our hearts ready to share the Good News with the locals. The morning before one of our walks I was preparing my heart for the day and dove into some scripture flipping my Bible to a random page that happened to be Matthew 10:11-14; 19-20. “Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet…Do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At the time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

It was like God was shouting promises of affirmation in that scripture. He was telling me to speak boldly and enter into a village to proclaim the gospel. I wrote the verse down in utter joy of how evident God was and the day hadn’t even begun yet. Under the verse I wrote- “Lord, this is my prayer today. Allow me to have this spirit of boldness in You on prayer walks. Give me Your words, which only you can provide.” And provide is exactly what He did. That was the day I met Miguel and the day I got to speak truth over his life about Jesus with some of my best friends. We got the chance to sit in the dirt for hours describing to Miguel that he is loved by a Savior who died to know him. We shared our own testimonies with him, explaining that life is never easy but somehow the burden seems to weigh less when the control is not in your hands any longer. This man was full of challenging questions-about Jesus, about the devil, about what to believe in and other religions. He thirsted for answers about this mysterious God that filled our smiles and fueled our spirits throughout the village.

We left Miguel with a Spanish Bible to read only to come back two days later to find out his dedication and knowledge expanded as he perused through it. This man went from 0 to 100 in a matter of two days. He asked us about certain Bible stories and we helped clarify. That day, sitting on the dirty ground for over an hour and a half the Kingdom gained a follower. Miguel made the decision to completely turn his trust to God. That is a moment I will never forget. Our hands over him we got to lead him in prayer homeward bound to his Father. I could hear the angels rejoicing as my smile spread from ear to ear. That right there is what the mission field is about. Yes it’s important to help people and to fix houses, but the true goal lies within the structure of building the relationships. People yearn to know they are loved. They hunger for ears that listen to their stories and hearts that will accept them where they are. God filled His words through our mouths as we explained to Miguel that following Christ doesn’t mean you have to have it all together. You’re gonna mess up. Life is going to continue to throw you hurdles. And the devil will only tempt you more when he sees you succeeding. But remember that you have something greater to lean on now; you have the support of the ultimate Supporter. He will never leave or forsake you.

Getting to be a part of that one changed life was worth it all. Seeing that moment and planting that seed was something I’ll never forget. As we were leaving Miguel rushed over to the bus to tell me how grateful he was that we took the time to invest in him. The funny thing is, he thought we were only benefiting him but in reality he was the one that changed my life. He was the one that taught me to step out of my comfort zone and boldly proclaim my faith. Think about it. If we declared this truth more often instead of keeping our mouths shut more people like Miguel could come to know God too. So many times we pass up opportunities to share our faith with others. We take a back seat hoping somebody else will take care of the job or we ignore the chance and pretend it’s not there. Truth be told that one conversation can bring someone to eternal life. God is using us as vessels. Are we going to pour it in the trash or shine the truth? Ordinary people are used in extraordinary ways when the plus sign in the equation is Jesus.