Shannon's Story

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.

Serving the Lord and giving to others is such an honor. I feel so blessed to have traveled to Africa twice, during the three and a half years that I have been a Christian. Both times have made a huge impact on my life, and opened my eyes to how amazing our God is. These three verses stick out in my mind when I look back on my trip to Cape Town. One day in particular really brings these verses to life. After a long week at the Summer camp, our team had a chance to go and serve in the town of Sweet Home, a township of thousands of people who have close to nothing. Our goal that day was to have a Vacation Bible study for local children. When the kids arrived I kept asking God, " What can I do for them?" and so kindly and gently as He always does just replied" Just Be with them." I think sometimes as short term missionaries we want to do it all.... bring them to Christ, end their poverty, teach them skills to succeed, and so on. God continued to tug at my heart and tell me that I didn;t have to do it all, just being there was enough. So that's what I decided to do. Most of these kids didn't speak English, so talking as a form of communication wouldn't work. I wanted so badly to tell them that I loved them and God loves them even more, but didn;t know how. I learned very quickly that non verbal communication is sometimes better and more useful then words. When I would hug these kid I could actually feel their poor little bodies loosen up, it was like they had never been hugged or touched like that before. I also noticed that when I would smile at them, their whole souls would light up and I could see the love of God in their eyes. My heart soften so much with each child that I encountered. These verses continued to come to mind, because they are the meek and poor in spirit, but God moves through them just as much as He does me. These children expected nothing from me, they didn't beg or cry, they were perfectly content with the only thing I had for them and that was my love. I think I realized that day how real He is.... He allowed me to sit in the dirt and praise Him with children who have nothing and feel His presence stronger then I ever had before. I believe with all of my heart that He was there that day sitting with us. I pray that these children realize that they are the ones that He speaks of in the Bible. He doesn't love them less because of what they have or dont have. I was moved by His presence that day, and know that my life was forever changed that rainy day sitting in the dirt with those kids. I hope that one day I see all of those children in Heaven so I can thank them for showing me how to love.

-- Shannon