Glory to God!

So as I woke up this morning, I was still feeling burdened by the pain that the boys in the home feel on a daily basis--especially as we get closer and closer to Christmas. Augusto began giving the morning devotions as usual, but it was obvious that many of the kids in the room were not feeling into it. Augusto was talking about the fact that we can have confidence in ourselves because God is with us. We can be confident because God is bigger than all of our problems and pain, and he is always at our side. It seemed like the words were falling onto deaf ears. Some of the kids were sleeping, some of the kids were bothering each other, and others were working on last minute homework. But Augusto pressed on.

What happened next was interesting. Augusto asked about five of the older boys if they had confidence in themselves one by one, and one by one, they all gave the same answer. They frowned, looked at the ground, and timidly answered, "No." At that point, Augusto dropped the devotion and announced that he really felt that he needed to pray for the boys individually. He asked us to stand in a circle, and he explained that he was going to come around the circle, and he was going to pray for each of the boys privately. He asked the the boys share the burdens on their heart in confidence so that he could specifically intercede on their behalf.

What happened next surprised me the most. Augusto announced that I would also be going around the circle, and praying with some of the boys. The first thoughts that came to my mind as Augusto explained this were thoughts of fear. What if I messed up the words in Spanish? I felt partially unequipped because I didn't know the specific backgrounds of most of the boys. But just as these thoughts and fears began to run through my mind, I was reminded of Augusto's devotion topic--I can be confident because I know that God is at my side. I barely had enough time to say a quick prayer asking the Holy Spirit to use me before it was time to start praying with the boys.

What a beautiful time in the presence of God. The words came to my mouth, and I had to opportunity to connect with and pray for many of the boys here in Ica. Some of them sincerely opened up to me. One boy asked me to pray that God would help him to find forgiveness for his family. Another asked that I pray for him to be able to resist the temptation of returning to the streets and doing a number of bad things. What a blessing to pray with these kids! What a blessing to be able to remind them that God does love them, that God is with them, and that God has created them with a purpose! It is an incredible feeling to know that you are being used by God to help build his kingdom. It is almost hard to explain, but there is really nothing like it.

The kids in the room changed from being weary and disengaged to a point of vulnerability and fervent prayer in the blink of an eye. The Holy Spirit showed up, and it was awesome! I continue to feel deeply burdened for these kids, but at the same time I feel renewed and full of joy because I know that God is visibly at work in their lives. Glory to God!