The eyes that stole my heart
Aleysia closed her eyes, her belly crouched in, and she said she felt someone’s hunger. She imagined divinely a little girl with giant eyes standing behind a wall. Moments later we looked down the alley the Lord had led us to. There was a little girl, wearing the same colored shirt Aleysia had seen in her vision moments before, waving joyfully at our group.
It didn’t make sense to me looking back that she waved to us from so far. As the rest of the time we spent with her, we could barley get a smile.
She was shy, so gentle, so sweet. Her eyes stole my heart. She’d been hurt and afraid. We broke into pieces knowing her.
In our first interaction with her we talked to her mother – Catholic, doesn’t go to church much. After we brought her daughter to the soccer program, we came back and got to sit with them in their own home…
Reach people in the nations like this girl by partnering financially!
By October 4th I’ll need $4000 more for finishing out the funding of our work in Central America and starting the funding for work with refugees and the unreached in 2022!
Thank you for being a part of this!
Even if that home was made of tin walls, and their kitchen was a singular heater outside with bugs swarming around, they’d still place plastic seats for us to sit in.
Her mom told us she couldn’t afford an umbrella to go out in the city when it rained. That she had to constantly work, and so she didn’t have time to take her daughter to things. She didn’t have community, and she could barely make time to pray. Her brother had died from COVID this year.
*volcano pictures by Lindsey
We just listened. And then we spoke. I’ve rarely seen in moments, sharing the Gospel, someone as receptive as she. This mother listened and hung onto every word we said about the Gospel, Scriptures, and our testimonies.
For instance, we got to share with her that our religion is the only one whose Savior understands. Whose Savior suffers with us, weeps with us. That Jesus promised trouble in this world, but that He overcame it on the Cross and is bringing new life and an eternal one. We gave her the Spanish Bible that God very specifically told me to bring that day. We got her connected to our ministry that can provide classes and opportunities and resources.
As we talked to her, an idea flashed through my head that we’d come around her and pray and that her hands would be in receiving posture – open to more of Jesus. She accepted the invitation to receive our prayers in this way.
Our work was not finished. Aleysia and I went home and we’re not okay. Our hearts were pierced with brokenness for this family; we ended up praying for hours. We prayed against evil and darkness at work and knew we were partnering with God to bring light to this household.
I knew I had to draw her. And we dropped off this piece at their house on our last day. The mom and her daughter with the big eyes were lighter and gladder where there was only hopelessness before. We encouraged them to seek after the Father and cling to the Word and community. It was joy and friendship and the Father seeing them in their time of need.
It all started when we asked the Lord where’d He’d have us go for the day/what He wanted to highlight. (Just ask God, clear your mind, sit and listen, see what comes to mind – Jesus said His sheep will know the Shepherd’s voice).
Someone heard yellow, someone saw a vision of a castle. Then as we started walking a guy on a motorcycle drove by in a bright yellow jacket. We followed him until we found a castle-like house. We stopped and asked God again where we should go. Someone imagined a boy in a blue shirt. We saw one walk by. And that boy led us to the girl with the eyes that stole my heart.
God is relentless. In pursuit of you. He loves you. He wants to meet you in your time of need.
It was a moment I hadn’t seen before.
I was speaking with his mother and the boy came running. He came running from the fountain that we had been drawn to. It was a gasp of a moment, impossible without stopping for his meek, hurting, kind mother even though our bus had arrived. When he came in such elation; it brought light to his mother’s countenance. In the same way she had a nervous shake; His face was thin and deprived in some way – yet his beauty and innocent fervor uncorrupted. If the circumstances around him were darkness, the birds wouldn’t care. And if he made every bird around him released to fly, he wouldn’t notice. He’d only come running. In this moment – to me. That I could see his light and the light in me could see him back. I couldn’t breathe. I mean I could only breathe. I could not do anything else. I will not do anything else than live in moments God gives with His masterpieces such as these
It has only become clearer, God has me exactly where I need to be – with the people I needed to reach for His Name and who I needed to reach me. They’d all foster immeasurably more growth than I could ever imagine, preparing me for all that’s to come building with Him.
Grace and peace
Wow!!! Thanks so much for the update and all the pictures!!! We love you and are praying for you and your team!!!!