In Due Season

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." -Galatians 6:9

For years, I have loved this verse...maybe because it is so easy for me to "grow weary in doing good" and I am encouraged by the promise that there will be a harvest if I do not give up. Lately, I have been thinking about this verse in terms of the softening of people's hearts. A lot of the people in our ministry here have hardened hearts and lots of self-protective walls up. They have gone through so many things that I can't even begin to imagine, it's understandable to see why their hearts are hardened. Nevertheless, we continue to pray that God would break down those walls and heal their hearts completely with His restoring love.

Last week, two things happened that encouraged me in how God is working in the hearts of people here. One of the newer ladies on my cooking team for Torta seemed a little unfriendly the first time I met her and somewhat closed-off. However, last Saturday as we were having our short devotional and prayer time after cooking, she shared a very transparent prayer request and one that showed she was desiring to grow closer to God. I was so encouraged by this! The other thing was very small, but it meant a lot to me. One of the girls on my Thursday morning Club route is named Yohana. She's not in my Club class because she's in the 9 and 10 year-olds class, but I have gradually gotten to know her over this year through my van route. Each week we pick her up in the van, I greet her with a huge smile and enthusiastically ask her how her week has been. Like most pre-teens would respond, I usually get a short-one word answer from her. Every week once we get back to the church, there are two more houses I stop by on foot because the kids live right behind the church. I usually invite Yohana and the other older girls to come walk with me. They always do and seem to enjoy going along while the younger kids stay and play on the basketball court before Club. Last week, as we walked to two houses, Yohana reached out to hold my hand completely on her own initiative and continued to hold it the whole time we were on our walk. While I'm used to my five and six-year-olds wanting to hold my hand here, this really surprised me and touched my heart. It was a simple gesture, but one that showed that we had built "confianza" (or trust) over the last few months. Even if she never chatters away with me in the van, I know she knows that I care about her--and that means a lot.

Of course, there are also a few kids here that still have their innocence and know how to love without fear. Another precious Club moment I had recently was when Chewy (a nine-year-old boy on my morning van route) gave me a present. It was a little plaque that said "El Amor de Dios es Tu Refugio" and had a verse from Psalms on it. On the back, he had written "Para Cayli, Mi Mejor Amiga." (The kids call me Cayli here--I can explain why another day. It's pronounced like "Kylie" in English.) This totally made my day! I'm not even his Club teacher, but somewhere along the way, I've been able to show him enough love and kindness that merits me to be called his best friend. Wow.

So, we keep trying to "do good" here each day in God's strength and remembering that God is at work in hard hearts and soft hearts alike...