I arrived home yesterday (Thursday) in my “scrubs”, having gone directly from the medical clinic to the airport in Rio to fly home. I find adjustment a bit difficult following three weeks in Rio. However, it was wonderful to be at home last night and sleep in my own bed. Needless to say, I spent hours doing laundry.
My experience with the medical team was indescribable! I spent about 7 hours a day sitting in a room welcoming anywhere from 5-10 people at a time to share the gospel. Most times there were children present with parents. On one occasion a young mother had two babies nursing (one on each breast) while another child leaned on her lap. Nursing babies in public is just as natural as feeding from the bottle in the states. The people were so excited to hear me share about God’s love for them and his desire to have a relationship with them through his son, Jesus. Time after time, the room was filled with the sound of people praying with me, in Portuguese, to receive Christ. That beautiful sound continues to ring loud and clear in my ears as I reflect on my time working with the medical team. The smiles on their faces when they left said it all. One lady said, “I have always wanted someone to help me understand about God and Jesus. Thank you for helping me to have Jesus in my heart.”
The only way I can describe it is to say “I experienced a revival in that little room.” There were four of us doing evangelism in separate areas of the little church where the clinic took place. Each person who came for medical care sat with one of us for a time of sharing the gospel before getting to see the doctor. They came for medical care, but got unexpected spiritual care as well.
This morning I asked God to help me adjust back into my routine at Belmont. It is always difficult to get back into the swing of things after a mission trip. Paperwork seems kind of insignificant, but God reminds me that my work here is ministry also. What I do in this office is just as important as my three weeks in Rio. He planted me at Belmont a long time ago and has been faithful through the years to give me precious lives to influence. This is my daily mission field and it is good to be home!
I am enjoying reading entries from our volleyball team as they process and reflect. I’ll let you read for yourselves how God worked in and through the lives of the volleyball team and coaches. It reaffirms my call to continue to do Sports Evangelism at Belmont and to be “on mission” every day of my life!
