Le Bon Voyage

Bon soir good friends!

     I see more and more with my experiences as a missionary that serving God does not stop when the mission you are sponsored to complete ends. I have found that God sends us to touch the lives of people wherever we go. I have lost track of how many strangers I have found in need in the most random places: getting a tire repaired, at the beach on a day of vacation, in a restaurant, sitting on the street waiting for a friend to get home, in front of the gas station. They all have stories to tell. They all have problems, and there is one common solution: God.
      I had a conversation with a friend tonight about the meaning of service to God. The point came up that it means complete obedience to God and giving up all of yourself and anything tied to you to live for Him. Any ability, possession, connection, asset, relationship, or whatever it may be goes to glorify and serve God. It means to surrender control and let yourself be guided. Afterwards we went to meet an older friend of his who further opened the conversation.
      "We as Christians must be open to any opportunity with any person in any circumstance to bring the Good News to them," he said. He then retold a story that my friend had already told me. It was still good as it was the first time. "I went to Somoto in the mountains of northern Nicaragua for a week. I found one child living in the street. The child looked at me as if he wanted to tell me something, so I spoke to him. We talked about Jesus, and he accepted Christ. The next day the were two more children with him. The next day a few more showed up. On the forth day, a gentleman came to me saying that he was looking to preach. These children were all from the street, some were orphans, some were abused, some were prostituted, and all of them needed God. This manupon seeing the need started the first children's church. These same children now form the choir, they read the Bible aloud, they give devotions, and there are over one hundred of them."
        I was astonished by the story. It really was inspiring. It all started with a random conversation with a child who was not looking for money or food as much as he was for spiritual nourishment. The narrow path is an adventure. There are obstacles, but many of them are within our perception of the problem. Moreover there are sweet surprises and strengthening experiences to teach us and make us wiser if we let God do his work in and through us. Be prepared for the unexpected on the good journey!

Che Dio ti benedica,
Seth