Salt and Light

Hey y’all! Armenia was a good month, but it was one of the more physically hard months as far as illness goes. We had the opportunity to partner with the Armenian branch of Cru, in which the full name is: Campus Crusaders?? If you know anything about Cru, they usually work with university students specifically. Armenia is a lot like the US in a few ways, but they also are not; they have a similar mindset in regards to being busy bees, always running around and working, but they also LOVE community and really treasure it. During my travels, not just on the Race but also in past missions to Bolivia, I’ve really seen that all (at least the ones I’ve been to) overseas countries are so much more hospitable than we are back in the states; it’s really inspired me to be inclusive, to take all people in and to be willing to serve anyone who walks through my door and/or anyone I believe that the LORD is leading me to, regardless if it’s inconvenient to me. 

The LORD tells us to welcome everyone in, to be humble servants that are always willing to put all people ahead of myself, their needs and hearts above my own; I know that is what Jesus did and we were made to model our actions and steps after the One who came before us and set that example, to be the salt of the earth and let His light shine through us. The Armenian branch of Cru call themselves torch bearers: they are ready and willing to go out and USE the fire that the LORD gave to us, not letting anyone extinguish it because they WANT the world to come to know our Father. AND, they use the symbol of the torch as a means to show that they pass their knowledge, their mission and drive to the next generation(s) so that it keeps going strong and DOESN’T die down like the enemy wants it to. Also, we are the light of Christ and we are meant to GO forward, to go out to the front lines and fearlessly march TOWARDS the darkness, combating it until the light overcomes it. 

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. I have suffered much; preserve my life, LORD, according to your Word. Accept, LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws. Though I constantly take my life into my own hands, I will not forget your law.” ~Psalm 119:105-109

And this month, (and the entire race honestly) that’s EXACTLY what we did; we took each day, one at a time, in stride as we were intentional to set our mornings aside as a team and spend time together in worship and prayer (and on our Sabbath and adventure days, we did it on our own) before heading out into the rest of the day. We were able to teach actual curriculum-based English classes, to host English clubs that were basically times to hang out with local Armenians who are more advanced in speaking English, playing games and sharing in times of fellowship with each other, and of course using our ATL moments wisely which typically became evangelism/prayer-walking slots. I remember one in particular that was probably in my top 3 favorite moments in Armenia; we prayed for an hour beforehand, having an extra time of worship and intentional prayer for God to guide our steps to the people he wanted us to go to, having the chance to really get into conversation with some, praying over various things (specifically in regards to healing over their health) with others, and ending our time passing out flowers to all those we feel that the LORD highlighted to us. 

For me, he specifically highlighted men, and the women he highlighted were working and/or mothers with their children that we happened to pass by. It was a really sweet time, and we received so many beautiful moments with each other as well as with local people we encountered during this specific time that we called…a treasure hunt! Now, what are treasure hunts? I’m SO glad you asked! A treasure hunt starts with prayer; we ask the Lord to give us pictures of people, colors of clothing, maybe even specific places and/or names, and then we GO out and find the things/people we felt the LORD had given us pictures of. There are so many stories I could highlight, but I think my favorite of that day was the picture the LORD gave my teammate, Tiffany, of a woman in a pink shirt and BLUE pants (like bright blueberry blue). We thought we had found her within the first hour of our walk, but we actually saw her twice in passing (usually crossing the street) and while we felt the LORD highlighting her, we didn’t go after her. BUT, the LORD’s plan will always come to fruition and sure enough, once we had gotten off the subway at our stop, (we were literally going home) there she was: walking through the tunnels right beside us. 

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” ~Matthew 5:13-14

This time when the LORD prompted us, we listened. She and her friend were moving fast, so we actually ended up following them for a hot minute until finally, we caught up with her. Tiff had felt that the LORD was telling her to give this woman a picture she had drawn of some beautiful flowers, as well as a scripture to give her encouragement. Tiffany could tell you a bit more, I was more-or-less there as moral support (and to help Tiff catch up to her), but I could tell that this woman was absolutely moved by the picture and the fact that it had been given to her at the exact moment she needed encouraged. She gave us such a large smile when we offered to pray for her, then, as she walked away, she gave one last wide smile with a casual wave saying goodbye to us. It’s those moments I treasure the most: the ones you really don’t see coming, the ones where you follow the LORD in immediate obedience with no trace of hesitation or fear. I don’t know if I’ll ever see her in person again, but I hope that through her brief interaction with us, she will grow to know our Savior in an intimate way and I will see her again one day in heaven when my time comes to go home.

“So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did.’” ~Hebrews 3:7-9 NIV

This week, I challenge you to go on a treasure hunt. Take AT LEAST 30 minutes and pray, specifically asking the LORD to give you images and/or colors or words, and then WAIT; the Lord will answer in His timing, BUT you have to be willing to hear his voice. Maybe even spend 15-30 minutes before praying in a time of worship, listening to Jesus lovin’ music and singing/praising the LORD beforehand in order to really get into the proper headspace to hear from Him. As soon as you finish with your time of prayer, take note of whatever he shared with you and go out on the streets to find them, wherever the LORD leads you to go and when He tells you to do something, don’t second guess it. It will be hard at first because it does put you into an uncomfortable position, BUT it will be so worth it as you watch the Lord move in miraculous ways that one couldn’t hope to explain in its’ full splendor because you would’ve had to see it to truly believe and/or grasp the weight of it. I look forward to hearing all about what the LORD does through messenger and/or in person when I return to the states within the next month. (: