“…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10b
Our day retreat on Friday was just what I needed. The forest was a perfect place for solitude and quiet with God. See the pictures above and you will know why! Thursday night before our day retreat I posed two questions to reflect on as we prepared our hearts for the time with God.
- What do you bring with you today in way of lament?
- What do you bring with you today in way of gratitude?
Earlier that day we visited our friends on the streets. One of the young women, who was one of the first friends to welcome me into their lives back in August, wanted to share something with me. With the help of Ben’s translation, she shared that she lost her baby on Monday. From what we can tell, she was about 2-3 months pregnant before having a miscarriage. It is times like this that I really wish I could communicate and listen in Portuguese. Fortunately, I remembered the verb for “pray”, so I was able to say I am sorry and I will be praying for her. I then sat with her for awhile and played a couple game of dominoes. Later that afternoon another young woman was showing us pictures of her four children, who are being taken care of by other family and friends. She has showed us these pictures many times, but this time tears were running down her face as she told us the names of her children.
Needless to say, it was a pretty impactful day for me. My heart aches for these women and the children. As I considered the above questions later that night, I was lamenting over the realities of life for these women and children. Each week seems to bring a new story of a pregnancy, miscarriage, birth, or needs for the young babies and children. Michael Card in his book “A Sacred Sorrow” says, “Lament is the path that takes us to the place where we discover that there are no complete answers to pain and suffering, only Presence [referring to the Holy Spirit].”
Recently I read John 10 where Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd. In verse 10, he says, “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” In Acts 3:15 Peter refers to Jesus as the “author of life.” I have landed on these scriptures this past week. In my prayers of lament, I am reminded that God desires life to the fullest for his creation! And we are His instruments in sharing that life in the Spirit with those who are suffering and hurting.
My lament turned to gratitude and hope as I think of the WMF staff here and their presence among their friends on the streets. Their presence brings hope and life to the hurt and pain on the streets. I am grateful and excited for the vision God is developing to provide a drop-in center for the women and children here. Please pray for our relationships with these women and children and what God has ahead for ministry that offers hope and life.
Our day retreat on Friday was just what I needed. The forest was a perfect place for solitude and quiet with God. See the pictures above and you will know why! Thursday night before our day retreat I posed two questions to reflect on as we prepared our hearts for the time with God.
- What do you bring with you today in way of lament?
- What do you bring with you today in way of gratitude?
Earlier that day we visited our friends on the streets. One of the young women, who was one of the first friends to welcome me into their lives back in August, wanted to share something with me. With the help of Ben’s translation, she shared that she lost her baby on Monday. From what we can tell, she was about 2-3 months pregnant before having a miscarriage. It is times like this that I really wish I could communicate and listen in Portuguese. Fortunately, I remembered the verb for “pray”, so I was able to say I am sorry and I will be praying for her. I then sat with her for awhile and played a couple game of dominoes. Later that afternoon another young woman was showing us pictures of her four children, who are being taken care of by other family and friends. She has showed us these pictures many times, but this time tears were running down her face as she told us the names of her children.
Needless to say, it was a pretty impactful day for me. My heart aches for these women and the children. As I considered the above questions later that night, I was lamenting over the realities of life for these women and children. Each week seems to bring a new story of a pregnancy, miscarriage, birth, or needs for the young babies and children. Michael Card in his book “A Sacred Sorrow” says, “Lament is the path that takes us to the place where we discover that there are no complete answers to pain and suffering, only Presence [referring to the Holy Spirit].”
Recently I read John 10 where Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd. In verse 10, he says, “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” In Acts 3:15 Peter refers to Jesus as the “author of life.” I have landed on these scriptures this past week. In my prayers of lament, I am reminded that God desires life to the fullest for his creation! And we are His instruments in sharing that life in the Spirit with those who are suffering and hurting.
My lament turned to gratitude and hope as I think of the WMF staff here and their presence among their friends on the streets. Their presence brings hope and life to the hurt and pain on the streets. I am grateful and excited for the vision God is developing to provide a drop-in center for the women and children here. Please pray for our relationships with these women and children and what God has ahead for ministry that offers hope and life.
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