by a drought-stricken countryside filled with open fields and pastures.
by a group of smiling little faces that beam with pleasure at the love of Jesus Christ.
by an amazing God who never ceases to speak to my heart in the most divine ways imaginable.
It all began with a phone call that would change my life. On what I thought would be just another night around the house, I received a phone call from an old family friend with the spontaneous offer of a mission opportunity. Next thing I knew, I was on my way to a small town in Missouri called Warrensburg where I formed some truly amazing relationships and departed on my most favorite adventure so far. Over the past week, I learned that in thinking you're ministering to others, God finds a way to use them to minister to you. When I clambered into one of three 15-passenger vans, I never imagined that I'd fall in love with a small group of children on a barren reservation in Oklahoma.
The first morning, dozens of smiling faces piled into the sanctuary at Botone Memorial United Methodist Church just as unsure about learning during the upcoming week of Bible school as many of the team was about teaching it. Each leader was acquainted with their group and by the end if the afternoon all of us eagerly awaited the arrival of the next morning. The week progressed smoothly, each day bringing a new day and a new surprise. Each day, one of the younger kids would come up to me and explain to me something he'd enjoyed during the day, and then leave. I didn't know his name or his story but God put in my heart a soft spot for that particular child. Midway through the week, we took the children to the community pool where I fell in love with even more of them. It was there that my heart was captivated by 3 young children named Rebekah, Dre, and Storm. Every few minutes I would hear things such as, "When are you coming back?", "Can you stay with me forever?", or "Will you be my sister?", and my heart broke with each question or comment. By the end of the week, I had a constant smile on my face and on the last day, for the first time (from what I heard) in over a year, it began to rain.
Now for those of you who know me, I hate rain with a fiery passion. Don't get me wrong, I adore the sound and I love to watch it fall, but I cannot stand being caught in it. But as I made a mad dash for the door to get out of the rain, something stopped me and I looked around me at the smiles and tears on the faces of everyone around me. At that second, it really hit me how often I take the little things for granted. For instance, a one dollar candy bar at the concession stand is a regular occurence for me while these children treated it like gold. I treat rain as a hair-ruining, street-blocking, glumness-inducing inconvenience, while in that area, it was a rare blessing.
As I look back and remember the experience--the laughter and the tears--I can only come up with one word to describe the overwhelming sense of love that I feel for that little town in Oklahoma: captivated.
Now for those of you who know me, I hate rain with a fiery passion. Don't get me wrong, I adore the sound and I love to watch it fall, but I cannot stand being caught in it. But as I made a mad dash for the door to get out of the rain, something stopped me and I looked around me at the smiles and tears on the faces of everyone around me. At that second, it really hit me how often I take the little things for granted. For instance, a one dollar candy bar at the concession stand is a regular occurence for me while these children treated it like gold. I treat rain as a hair-ruining, street-blocking, glumness-inducing inconvenience, while in that area, it was a rare blessing.
As I look back and remember the experience--the laughter and the tears--I can only come up with one word to describe the overwhelming sense of love that I feel for that little town in Oklahoma: captivated.
