Cherish these moments

I think a lot has happened lately but I've been so busy I haven't updated very much. I'll start with a story from a little over a week ago and then move from there.

Last Tuesday I had the opportunity to do the message at the homeless dinner. I was really excited about it because God had burdened me with this one passage of scripture to somehow share with them. Most of the time I don't like the affect I, being a 21 year old girl in a room full of homeless men, have on the people there, but this time I think God used it powerfully. The room, which is usually full of grumblers, complainers, and just plain old distracted people during the message, fell completely silent when I got up with my Bible in hand. Wow. That in itself is a work of God. I then went on to share the message that up until this night made me cry every time I thought about it. It wasn't my most eloquent moment of public speaking, but I said what I wanted and was satisfied with that. Afterward, multiple people came up to me, thanking me or explaining how it really meant something to them. One guy said he still isn't sure if he believes in God, but after this evening he felt like he needed to give it some more thought. Another man said he felt like he could have peace and relief from the bitterness in his heart about his current circumstances. Wow! The most touching thing to me is that this night wasn't from me. God gave me the message, I did my best to say it clearly, and then someone else translated it into German. I was just a minor piece of the puzzle. I like that. I like when I chose to do things God's way and He does all the rest. (The scripture I was reading from in case you want to check it out Luke 18:35-43)

Another update is that Jeff, Jake, Mckenzie and I had the opportunity to visit little Litér again. In July the four of us helped out at an English camp there. We had so much fun and were so welcomed that we even got invited to come back in September for a short English weekend. So, as our final goodbye, we went this past weekend to help with a major building/demolition project. We also spent some time with a rowdy band of Hungarian children that we had been with the two times before. We stayed in the houses of amazing and loving people whose hospitality and warmness have totally blown us away. We came home with memories, home made jam, and a vast appreciation for the Hungarian culture. We won't ever forget.

Christ in the eyes of the lowly

I met a man at the homeless breakfast yesterday named Imre. As soon as he walked in I could tell from the sparkle in his eye that he was different. He began reading a bible that was obviously not in German but I was unable to see from across the table which language. I grabbed my opportunity to begin talking to him and he explained that he grew up in Slovakia in a town that speaks Hungarian (the bible was in Hungarian) but he himself is a Roma gypsy. What a combination! He began to tell me his story of how he lived in a town where a Canadian missionary had started a Roma church but he decided to go his own way and became a homeless drunk in Austria (I'm a little blurry on the details in between. It's a bit complicated sometimes when two people are speaking in a language that isn't their native tongue). One week ago he somehow returned to Jesus again. I, once again, am unsure of what transpired but I do know that this man is extremely excited about God and it was so refreshing! He began to encourage me about how he could tell that I was a believer just by looking in my eyes and that God has gifted me to love the people in the world that no one loves. I asked him where he sleeps at night and this is what he said (in German of course);
"I have no place to sleep. Jesus didn't have a bed and neither do I. I sleep where he tells me to sleep. Jesus was one of the first homeless. If God decides to give me money or a house or food then I will take it, but I will not search and ask for the things of this world. He'll give me what I need."
Wow. That challenged me so much. He was such a beautiful man. I invited him to come to my church but sadly he never showed up. I hope to see this guy again. He represented Jesus to me in a new, unique, and upside down way. I love moments like that.

Forming

"I do not ask to see the reason for it all; I ask only to share the wonder of it all."

Wonder

We serve a God of wonder, creativity, and imagination. His parables of what the Kingdom would look like enticed the imaginative mind to dream, and dream big. God didn't show us His glory through lectures, essays, or pie charts (or any other seemingly boring things) but He delighted to drop our jaws with talking donkeys, a stroll on water, giant man-swallowing fish, splitting seas, pillars of fire, and spontaneous wrestling matches. I like that. I don't want to ever put aside the freedom of child-likeness in hopes of a pious self sufficiency. I'll take a dose of God's wonder instead.

Lately, with many gentle prods from friends, acquaintances, or even complete strangers, I've been really challenged to re-think my ideas about the Holy Spirit. I tend to approach anything dealing with the Holy Spirit with much hesitation, skepticism, and doubt. Last night as I was giddy thinking about God's wonder and all that it entails, I felt a small voice tell me,

"The Holy Spirit is my wonder"

Oi. That floored me. Christians will always sin. They will continue to do things wrong, to hurt people, and to give wrong representations, but the Holy Spirit is still the same. God will continue to paint the world with His wonder using the 'antics' of the Holy Spirit as He dissents from the boxes we put Him in and breaks every dependence on reason. So, while we dream of the 'whimsical' Kingdom of Heaven where the last are first and the weak are strong and no one goes without and the lion lays down with the lamb, it can be brought here on earth when we allow the Holy Spirit to be our crayons. We can see a world where peace passes all understanding, where juicy fruits of the Spirit outweigh hate, worry, and indulgence, where provision comes not a moment too late, where bodies are healed and mourning turns into dancing. When truly from God, I dare say that the Holy Spirit can accomplish nothing but wonder.
This is all new to me, so feel free to disagree and let me know :) I'm so excited for this process of trust.

P.S. I made another scarf! This time for Kathi's birthday. Here's a picture of Julia and Kathi both sporting their scarves I made. :) I love being able to create.P.P.S. I wouldn't mind having this in my back yard. It's a tree with lots of little knitted sweaters, just in case he got cold. Man, how cool is it that God gave us the ability to imagine things like this and then make them happen!?!