"Why are you here? Please
explain."
KATIE'S ANSWER.
One evening last week, Anna and I got to share
our testimonies with some ladies. I was asked
"Why are you here? Please
explain." So, I shared what the Lord had done to
change my life, what my relationship with Him was, and how it is now...and then
what brought me to Ireland.
To illustrate, I told a story:
At one of the camps, we
were talking about God - Who He is, what He's like,
etc. A man gave an illustration about being in school as a child
and how, when he was in trouble, he was sent to the principal's office.
This principal was a mean old man, who loved to beat the students and found
great satisfaction in breaking his cane over them. He was always waiting
for them to mess up so he could beat them. (this wasn't a true
story.)
But then it was my turn to
teach - I started with "Sometimes we have the wrong view of
God. How many of you have ever pictured God being that
man's principal?"
To my amazement, most of them agreed that, that
was what God is like. Then I said: "He's not like that at
all." And the expressions on their faces changed dramatically. One
shouted out, "Are you sure!?" "Yes" I replied, and went on to
explain that God is a FATHER. A LOVING FATHER. We talked about all
the ways that their own fathers were cool, and what they were like - loving,
caring, protective, generous, wise, smart, fun, someone who provides for them, a
leader, etc. "THAT, I said is just what God is like. He's the Perfect
Father." When we were talking, the expressions on the children's faces
changed. They began to see God as He REALLY is and not as the one they
THOUGHT he was. THAT is why I'm
here - to share TRUTH, and
to MAKE HIM KNOWN.
It has been so cool to see children learning about our
Lord. They're learning things for the first time that I
grew up with - things that I have taken for granted! Knowing that God is a
loving Father is something that I never really doubted, but to see someone hear
that for the first time has opened my eyes to a whole new world. I'm
excited to watch the kids learn, and even more excited to be a part of
it!
Even though our time doing
kids camps are over, the work isn't finished. Every day,
there are 10-15 kids from the neighborhood that show up on the doorstep wanting
us to come out and play. Sometimes it's soccer, other times we just sit
outside and talk, or come in and drink tea or hot chocolate. The kids are
so eager to be loved, and because "the love of God has been poured out in our
hearts because of the Holy Spirit who has been given to us," we're able to do just that - LOVE them!
Several of them have heard our testimonies, and know that it is Christ who
brought us here, so it's such a great opportunity to just hang out and enjoy
them. Time has been flying by, and it will be hard to leave all these
little ones behind, but I'm so grateful for all the time that I have been able
to spend. God is good!
Katie
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