Lead Me Oh Lord

It is in those quiet moments, the early hours of dawn when a new day has begun for the Lilia's Place Ministry, that I have my most intimate conversations with God. Our conversations are never the same, somedays I am happy, some days I am sad, somedays I am scared, somedays I am so angry and bewildered that it is even hard to talk to Him, but no matter my mood, I know He is listening. Whatever our conversation may have been, it always involves me asking him for His guidance and the discernment to know that I am doing His will and not my own.

I say that because it isn't always easy to know if I am making the right choices or if I am letting pride weasel its way into my actions. I ask God daily, "What do you want us to do today, Lord? How do I serve you and those you have brought to Lilia's Place? How do I best share your good news?"

You see, as a missionary with a different type of ministry, you can get all kinds of advice and you can hear all kinds of criticisms and you hear all kinds of praises, but if I listen to all those voices I end up more confused than ever. I have discovered that my best source of what God expects comes not from everyone else, but from the man himself, from reading His words, the Bible!

I am called to love my neighbor and to go into all the world and spread the good news to all creation. Looking at the Lilia's Place Ministry I can see those two commands going hand in hand. It isn't just Doug and I, because the Lilia's Place Ministry is so much more, there is Alaric, Irish, Caidy, Ronald, Joereil, Benjoseph and without a doubt, everyone of our FAITH Home mothers. Love abounds at Lilia's Place and it is contagious!

People are asking, "Why, why do you love us?" and we get to share the gospel with them. This month we had two very special  baptisms, Antoneita and Teresa. Antoneita has been studying with Joereil and Benjoseph for about 15 months. She is the mother of 6 beautiful children. Teresa has been studying with us for about 6 months. She is new to our ministry and was brought to us by one of our FAITH Home mothers, Jennifer. Teresa lives in the cemetery and has two children, Ryan and Rhealyn, both attend our kindergarten.

I tend to be overcome with emotion at all of our baptisms, but these two really caused the waterworks. When Benjoseph asked Antoneita if she believed Jesus died on the cross for her sins, she broke out in tears, overcome with emotion and joy. It was one of most sincere and beautiful  baptisms I have ever experienced. Teresa's was just as special as she shared that she now had hope. She has people who love her and expect nothing in return from her. She never considered herself worthy of love before. When people tend to know that God does truly love them, it changes their whole outlook on life and gives them joy that radiates through the darkest despair. It is the purpose and the message they have been seeking.

I don't see ministry as a place for numbers. I see ministry as a work of love, it is about relationships. When you love, you make an impact, Jesus himself, was the greatest example of this, look at how he revolutionized the world with just 12 men. So how do I end my conversations with God each morning, a simple prayer, "Lead me oh Lord. Let me be your instrument of love today!"

You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat...Isaiah 25:4