Love Intimate

Going to the school was great! I was happy to see the kids excited for us being there. Being able to share with them the love that God has for them is amazing. It was even better seeing them sing for us. That is one of the best gifts I have ever gotten. Afterwards we went to a new church in Zone 21. We were able to learn about how the church came to be. It was cool to see that it was shaped like axis. They met in Houses together and on Sundays came together as a congregation. It was great to know that there is a light in that area after learning about the struggles some of the kids go though. Knowing our group prayed over the church calmed my heart. There is power in prayer. The hardest part of the night was the landfill. Going though the houses was in no doubt a blessing but seeing the situation that they were in was eye opening. The first house we met a girl with cerebral palsy and her aunt. She immediately broke down when asked about prayer and let us know the situation. It was so powerful to see our group pray over her and her nieces. You could definitely feel the holy spirit. The second house we went to was a little strange because the women there spoke a different dialect so it was a little different to communicate, but thanks to God we were able to. The last house is the one that hit me the hardest. Seeing Anna the women talk herself out of committing her life to Christ was heart breaking. Her reasoning was that she wasn't perfect and that she was afraid to commit her life to God only to mess up. It broke my heart and I just wanted to blurt out and tell her that no one but God is perfect. And that without God we couldn't even dream of being close to perfection. She has been on my mind because I instead stood there. I will continually pray for her and even pray that I may see her again before I leave. I know a seed was planted and with prayer it will grow. Dinner was a great opportunity to get closer with the group. Being able to sleek with Walter, Ingrid, and Joshua is a great advantage I have because I don't need a translator. Getting to know them day by day is great, I can only hope the connection becomes stronger. Before we had split for dinner Matt gave us the challenge to talk with a stranger. It seemed like I would complete the challenge but right before we met up to leave. Zach asked me to go with him to talk with someone and I agreed. Our first stop was the retail store Justice. We spoke with one of the workers and got her to open up a little but when we offered to pray with here she declined saying there were cameras and that she would get in trouble. Our second stop was a store by the name of Love Intimate. We were Immediately approached by a worker and were quick to offer the same. However we were not able to ask her any questions because she said there were cameras and would get in trouble. When we walked out and we approached a young lady and were able to make conversation with her. She said she did believe in God and Jesus but would normally only looked to Him when she was sick. When asked of we could pray. She replied yes but that it was too embarrassing to say. We prayed with her and thanked her for her time. It was great that we were able to talk with her and the fact that she was honest with us even though she had barely met us. I Thank God for Zach because in a normal situation I would have sustained from walking up to a stranger, much less into the stores we walked in. But because he needed a translator I was happy to help and therefore happy to walk with him. Before we left it was great to have a bonding moment with the group by playing twister on the floor of the mall. The fact that as a group we can have fun even having just met some of them. Also it was great that we went from having fun to worshipping together was amazing. Hearing our voices together was a blessing. Being able to share our high's and low's from the day and encouraging each other is just a small sign of the companionships we have made. I'm excited for what is to come because I know God has some amazing things planned for us and especially for me.

Josh Sanchez

Below are a few pics from the past days!