Julia & Lacy

Here I am in Honduras on outreach...it's amazing here! I'm updating my blog from my iPhone, which is a bit difficult, but I couldn't wait to share this story. Yesterday we went downtown to practice our evangelism and Jono, Debbie, Heidi, and myself formed a group. We were walking around praying when we passed a woman sitting on the sidewalk. It caught Heidi's attention and she felt we needed to speak with her. That's when we met 20 year old Julia and her 2 year old daughter, Lacy. After introducing ourselves, we asked if there was anything we could get for her. We found out that her mother passed away from cancer within the last year so Julia is taking care of her daughter plus three little brothers: 10 years old, 7 years old, and 1 1/2 years old. She said all they need is food. We went to a small store and bought several bags of food for her and her little family. We also made a special bag for her with toiletries and hair accessories. Before taking that to her we went and bought Burger King meals for each of us plus one for her. We went back and asked if we could share a meal with her and she was more than happy. We sat down, right in the middle of the sidewalk, and heard some of her story. She can't get a job because there's no one to watch her daughter. So there she sits, everyday, on the sidewalk hoping to receive money or food. Two of her brothers stay at another area hoping for the same thing. They live at a church where they receive some clothing and her brothers receive an education. We told her that we just wanted her to know how much God loves her and how precious she is to Him. There was no preaching and we didn't even feel we should ask her about salvation. We felt our purpose was simply to shower her with the love of Jesus. We received so many stares from others for taking up most of the sidewalk but it didn't even matter because she was learning about God's love for her in such a real way. We prayed with her and she began crying. She shared with us that no one has ever done such a thing for her, to sit and share a meal with her. It was beautiful and even I couldn't hold back my tears. It was in that short time that I remembered how precious life is and how much God loves each one of us, even the ones that seem unlovable. Each one has value. My heart is overflowing with emotion....