When it rains it pours on a Sunday here in Lusaka, and I aint just talking a bout RAIN, you know what I mean!!!?? It was back to back excitement all around for the Morales family yesterday. Luis and I crashed in bed EXHAUSTED at the end of the day and wondering “WHAT JUST HAPPENED?” Ever had a day like that?
Here in Zambia it is totally cool to just drop by on someone unannounced for a visit. It is a sign of friendship and true respect. We always love the visitors and it is fun to host people. However WHY do they have to come on a sunday after noon when the house looks its worst and all that could be going wrong is going on at that moment? Ever had a day like that?
We also learned a BIG lesson yesterday. You get burnt in ministry! We helped an ex street boy find a place to stay and he ended up stealing a bike and money from the gentleman who opened up his home to him. UGH! He had all of us going about his story and all of us, included the zambian gentleman who helped him believed him! (There is a common understanding that a zambian knows when a zambian is lying, but it is harder for everyone else to see it.) Luis even believed him, and he is usually the more skeptical one, being that he grew up on the streets and he knows how these kids are thinking. Ok, so what do we do? Do we become cynical and jaded? Or do we ask God to teach us from this and show us how to avoid it in the future? We are not responsible for other people’s choices. We are responsible to show them the love of Jesus and to listen to God’s direction when we reach out to them. What they choose to do with the love and generosity being shown is between them and God. I want to be able to say at the end of it all “I did the best I knew to do with a pure heart to honor my Savior”.
Yet, I don’t want my helping to hurt those I am reaching out to! GOD GIVE US WISDOM AND EARS TO HEAR YOU!!!!
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