a monopoly kind of committment

Gnashing of teeth, plotting, embellishing rules, tears, and absolute dedication....and we were only five minutes into the game.  Monopoly was more than a game in my childhood it was an experience.  When you come from a family of competitive folks like mine game night got a little crazy but when monopoly came out....it got a whole lot of crazy.  We were all in and winning was not an option...it was the only answer.  And because everyone could not possibly win...someone was always unhappy at the end.  And that was not the end of it.  For weeks after the game conversations would continue of "If only...I could have won"  or "I think someone may have cheated."  We were committed to the game. 

Yesterday I saw someone go from being a listener to being a committed believer.   I had the privilege of visiting a sweet friend we are discipling in Chaguarpamba.  I had a visitor with me, Abbie.  She is 16, from North Carolina, and came to see what everyday missions looks like. I took her to see Katy.   I had not had many opportunities to visit with Katy lately because she got a job outside the town where she lives and has not been home much.  But it was a Saturday morning and she was home for the weekend.  We sat down to study the Bible and she was deeply engaged in working through the passage we were studying. 
Right now we are using a preset list of questions that we go through when studying a passage of scripture.  We want those who study with us to know that they can study scripture at any time and not just when we are visiting.  By giving them questions and using them over and over they learn a way to study scripture on their own and their confidence builds. 
The questions look like this:
     1.  What in this passage do you like?  What draws your attention?
     2.  What do you not like?  What is confusing?
     3.  What can I learn about God in this passage?
     4.  What can I learn about mankind in this passage?
     5.  How can I apply what we learn in this passage to our lives?
     6.  Who can I share this lesson with?
So, when we got to the last two questions I figured we would get an answer similar to "all scripture is good to learn and put in practice"  and "I will share it with my family since they are not here to study today".   Those answers would have been fine.  But, yesterday I got to see commitment.  I got to see Katy go from learning and applying scripture to her own life, to something much deeper. 

When I asked Katy question number 5 her answer floored me.  She said, "Andrea, I find these studies really important.  I am learning so much.  At the school where I am counseling children I have started going through these studies with my students.  They need God.  So much of what I am learning in these studies is just what the kids need to hear also."  I was so surprised that I just kinda stared blankly at her.  Then my eyes started welling up with tears.  I don't think Katy realized how important that answer was.  My reaction surprised her but also greatly encouraged her.

Katy went from a listener to a committed player for God.  It was no longer a secret in her heart or even just amongst her family.  She is now all in.  She knows this truth is exactly what the world needs and she is not afraid to get out there and do the hard work. 

Commitment can be an amazing thing to witness when your working for God.  Its not just a milestone, it is personal growth.  It is an individual deepening in faith and committing to God at a whole new level.  It is beautiful. It is God at work among His people completing His purposes.  It is such a privilege to get to see these results!  As a follower of Christ my job is to go where God leads, do what He asks, and not worry about whether or not things turn out how I think they should.  Obedience is a hard lesson.  I like to understand why things happen.  Sometimes in this line of work sharing Gods word can be quite similar to beating ones head against a wall.  You continue to do the same thing (sharing God's word) and in the end all you end up with is a headache.  But those are the moments where I figure my character needed building and that those moments were for my own benefit and not others.  It was my learning time.  My time to learn to trust. 

Meeting with Katy was a huge gift yesterday.  I got a chance to see why.  I got to see how.  And I got a chance to be absolutely blessed.  Seeing someone grown in their faith and dedication to the Lord is a slow process.  But as time passes and God does the work in a persons life, we get to see an amazing transformation.  We see commitment grow.  And unlike Monopoly, the more committed a person is to sharing God, the deeper the relationship grows and the more united the community of believers becomes.  Monopoly bears scars and dissent.  God brings beauty and love. 

Groucho Marx is on my face!

A black eyebrow.  Yup.  I was so tired that I actually grabbed the wrong pencil and colored my eyebrow black. My first clue came when I finally turned on the light.  Yes doing one's makeup in the dark is not recommended but I was tired and my eyes were not yet ready for the light!  Thank heavens I finally did turn on the light. I saw the disaster and I quickly grabbed the makeup remover and removed Groucho Marx's mustache from above my eye.  It was an unexpected moment and it will stick with me....I will now always turn on the light before putting on my makeup....and I will always double check the color of the pencil before I use it.

Unexpected moments come for better or worse.  The bigger the "unexpected" the deeper the impact it leaves on our life story.  BJ and I recently had one of these bigger unexpected moments.

BJ and I went to visit a piece of property the other day that OMS Ecuador is considering purchasing.  It is in Chaguarpamba, where a majority of our ministry takes place.  The idea is to build a home for our family to live in so that we can be closer to the people we are discipling.  It has already been a long road yet we are just at the beginning of this chapter of our Ecuador story.

 We had set up a meeting with the land owner and the municipality.  They were coming to measure out some property lines. After the workers left we were standing around talking with Luis, the property owner, and his adult daughter.   Mari, his daughter, began asking us questions about who we were and what we do.  As we began to tell her about our ministry Mari began jumping up and down with excitement.  She proceeded to tell us that she is an evangelical Christian living in Guayaquil.  She comes and visits her parents every few months.  She said, "I have been praying for someone like you guys to come here and share the good news!"  BJ replied, "I think God is answering your prayers."

That was it.  A moment that left an indelible mark.  Knowing that it is not just our own hearts that have a passion for reaching the lost of this area was a great gift.  God has been so good to us!  We have no doubts that Chaguarpamba is where God is leading us.

Today when we arrived at kids club in Chaguarpamba there were already 5 kids waiting for us at the basketball court.  The kids didn't even let us get out of the car before they were hugging on us.  It was a sweet gift.  Later that morning when I walked across the street to purchase juice to serve to the kids I struck up a conversation with the store owner.  Amidst this conversations she informed me that the kids had been standing at the gate since 8 am.  Club didn't start until 9:30!!  She told me that she had gone out and told the kids that they were very early but they simply responded that they wanted to be early to help us set up.  They just couldn't wait!  "The kids here really love you guys", she said.

Another indelible mark.  Another unexpected moment that continued guiding us towards the decision we have been walking toward.  Neither situations were necessary but they were both welcomed comfort.  And sometimes that's just what we get!  Comfort.  Blessing.  Scripture tells us, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God."  There are some pretty good perks to being a part of God's family.  One of which being the Heavenly Father gives us more then we need or deserve.  Bonus blessings.  Like light switches to turn on so that we can see that ridiculous eyebrow before we walk out in public.....