It is always amazing to me the many different ways God reveals himself when we take the time to listen.
Working with this excellent team, I went up to Chicago, and we put on kids' carnivals with games and bible stories in hopes of connecting families with Reborn Community Church.
It was amazing how God brought together so many different people with so many different gifts. We all come from different homes and different backgrounds, but we were all united because of a belief in Him, and His glory was definitely the outcome.
After church and some last minute planning and on Sunday night, we headed out to the parks bright and early Monday morning.
Im the parks, we played games (sack races, tic tac toe, connect 4, etc), made balloon animals, and painted faces.
Each day, we were at a different site, which gave us so many opportunities to meet new kids and love on them in ways that don't always recieve at home.
Cherish and I played Fish In A Bowl for at least an hour, if not more. She was so satisfied sorting the green, pink, and orange balls among the 7 bowls, something so small. Through this precious 3 year old, I could see a message about being content.
I personally am so bad about becoming unsatified with things after a short period of time, but Cherish could have (and probably would have) sat and sorted balls all day. She didn't ask about snack or when we were going to do story. She sat and was content with all she had and was doing. So many times, I am not that way. I am almost always thinking of what I'm doing next, when really, that ruins what I'm doing now.
Much like Cherish, Denaeja taught me an awful lot, too.
At this specific park, there was a preschool next door, and during their free time, the teachers brought them out to play at the carnival. These kids were on a class schedule, so they had to leave before we got to tell our bible story, which is really the main point of the carnivals.
BUT!
Their preschool ended at 1:45 and our carnival didn't end until 3, so a select few came running back across the field when they got dismissed -- Denaeja was one of them.
Both when she was with the class and when she came back, Denaeja and I hung out. She drew hearts on my cheeks, and I drew a butterfly on her forehead.
Once she came back out, she asked what she had missed, so I began to relay the story of Abraham to her.
For those who may not know, Abraham is a man who obeyed God when God told him to pack up all his things and move. God promised Abraham as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, and His promise came true. When we were being trained on telling these stories, we were told to emphasize that God has a plan and that He is faithful in every way.
After I told D this story, she looks at me and says, "God has a plan for you, too!"
If you know me at all, you should know how badly I stress. I stress about basically everything, but when I heard her reassure me that God does have a plan for me, I almost cried.
He reveals himself in the most unsuspecting ways.
Despite my experience last year, foolish me went into this trip trying to pour into these kids' lives, but really they poured into mine.
They are so trusting and so content. They are also so open minded, which is something I admire very, very
much.
God not only broke my heart for this beautiful city, but He has begun to break my heart for the lost people, even at home. Coming back, I am so much more aware of the lost and broken around me, and I'm ready to share the Good News with them.
My prayer these next fee weeks is that God will give me a content heart like Cherish and a trusting heart like Denaeja, but also for a completely broken heart for those around me.
"Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in His sight."
- 2 Samuel 10:12
xox,
Lauren
(For the touristy side of it all, check out this post.)
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