As I reflect on the week that we had with the beautiful
people of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, there are many memories that
tug at my heart: the smiles on the children’s faces as they entered into our
VBS activities; the family nights when we made s’mores over the campfire and
visited with the families; family craft night; the fun, family health day when
we encouraged young and old to consider that God wants us to take care of
ourselves holistically; sharing and praying with the Nortons; serving lunch/dinner
and being amazed at how God blessed our “5 loaves and 2 fish”; the baby shower
for Shannon; and the OSLC teamwork and how our gifts were used in harmony with
each other.
But, most rewarding was the privilege of listening and praying
with several of the men and women as they told me their stories of heartbreak,
pain, and loss. In one situation, a
woman shared with me that she had lost two of her brothers to violent death
last July, and still has had no answer as to how, why, or who perpetrated this
horrific event. As I embraced her,
prayed with her, and then consoled her as she wept silently, I prayed that she
would experience the unconditional, everlasting love of Jesus through my
presence.
God is so amazing in His timing and His presence! On the last closing service of VBS, when the
children were singing their songs and Matthew was wrapping up the time, a
little boy Leniden was sitting beside me. He started to whisper to me curious questions
such as “Where is God?” “How do I know that He is here?” Why did He send his
son to die?” “Does Jesus love me?” In
the midst of songs being sung, I silently was asking God to give me answers that
he would understand as a 5 year old boy (actually, it was only later that I
found out his age because I thought that perhaps he was 7-9 years old with
questions that were similar to a teenager!!).
Then I asked him if he would like to ask Jesus to “come into his heart”
– a Christian cliché that is not always understood unless the Holy Spirit has
been moving. He quickly nodded his head,
and then surrounded with children and adults coming and going, I lead him in a
simple child-like prayer of confession and acceptance of Jesus in his
life. After he said the prayer, he
looked up at me with a beautiful grin and off he went!!! I then left the room with a sense of wonder
and awe that God had placed me in the chair beside him; that Leniden had indeed
been listening to the Bible lessons; and that through our presence this week at
Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, at least one little boy has “opened his
heart to Jesus.”
The Scripture that kept coming to me throughout the week was
Ephesians 3:20-21 “now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we
ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be
glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever
and ever! Amen!”
Thank you to all of the “senders” for the privilege of
serving our Lord and Savior at Navajo Nation.
