Thursday, June 26, 2014

It Happened on Tuesday

A few weeks ago our team had the opportunity to partner with a group who minister to street kids in Zimbabwe. They spend time building relationships with these homeless boys and strive to get them off the streets. The first time we met these boys our hearts immediately hurt for them. They had no home, no food, no love, and no God. 

After spending time with them we longed to have the opportunity to invest in & build relationships with these boys. I wanted to have more time to show them the love of Christ and more opportunities to share the gospel with them. Even though it was not in our schedule to see them again, it WAS in God's plan for us. After several plans fell though and others were moved around, we now have the opportunity to spend time with them more times this summer, and much to our enjoyment Tuesday was one of those days.

Tuesday afternoon we met up with the boys and several of our friends from a local church and played a game of soccer. A very uneven match of girls vs. boys (AKA Americans vs. Zimbabweans). Even though we played soccer with them just like the last time we saw them, Tuesday was much different.

A few weeks ago I tried to share the gospel and let all of the boys know why we were there because I thought it would be the last time I would see them. On Tuesday, God showed me the importance of building relationships. These boys do not have consistency in their lives. They move from street corner to street corner begging, hoping they receive enough money to feed themselves. They have no parents, no school, no church. The sidewalks are their home and the beggars are their family. By coming back and partnering with a preexisting street kids ministry, God is using us to show them the love of Christ. 

By the end of the day I could really see how we had bonded with them. We were horsing around and being loud just as any group of kids would do. Tuesday, God showed me that big, extravagant things do not have to happen to glorify God. Accepting the rejected and loving the abandoned is what God calls us to. These boys had been told the Gospel, therefore by spending time and building relationships with these boys we are glorifying God, and that is enough.

Please pray for these boys. Pray that they will see Christ through us. Pray that they will understand that God wants them as they are, who they are. 

-Lindsey