It’s been twelve years, but I can still remember every detail.
The smell of rotting fish.
The dozens of homes flooded so badly that people were living in the rafters.
The way the villagers greeted us at the dock, one girl brave enough to reach out a hand and touch my arm.
Checking to make sure you’re real, I was told.
How they’d crowded around to escort us to the tiny, makeshift dwelling of a new mother. I’d slept in tents bigger than that home.
The baby in her arms…so new, so fragile, so precious.
Smiling as we struggled to get comfortable on the dirty floor.
Laboring over each word spoken, trying to keep up with a conversation not in my native language.
But soon it was as if a common language wasn’t even necessary…I merely watched as a life-changing event unfolded before me.
My friend spoke to this woman, Bible open. Told her of Jesus and what he had done for her.
Remarkable, yes.
But what I remember most was the way this woman held on to
Every. Single. Word.
for dear life.
Her eyes lit up as she heard for the first time.
And understood.
This. Was. Truth.
She embraced it.
And prayed for forgiveness.
I don’t remember much about the events that followed. All too soon, we were back in the motorboat, leaving this tiny Amazon village so small you will never find it on a map.
But I’ll never forget that day…or the impact it had on my heart.
It was so much more than witnessing a sister transformed by His grace and welcomed into the Kingdom.
It was then that I realized the world was so much bigger than I had ever imagined…and that God’s love reached to every hidden, forgotten corner of it.
That day, as our boat sped away, I glanced back at that small, insignificant village and the woman whose heart God had used to change mine.
She waved, flashing us the biggest smile I’d ever seen.
This woman, who possessed nothing of earthly value, now had everything she would ever need.
May we all live with such gratitude.
By Mel, Going Barefoot
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Heart Changes: A Guest Post says
[…] hope you’ll hop on over here to check out my post, Heart […]
Amy says
We don’t see it at the time, but it’s there – today’s purpose for tomorrow. It’s your realization of your yesterday’s importance in your today, and your making an altar out of them in thanksgiving, that honors Him to the core! Such a blessing!
Mel says
The more I recall this day, the more thankful I am for that moment. God can take the smallest fragments of experiences and use them to shape us. And continue to do so twelve years later. I love it. 🙂 Thanks for your encouragement.
zena says
What a wonderful testimony.
Mel says
Thanks, Zena. 🙂 Praise Him.
Holley Gerth says
So glad God reaches even the hidden places of our hearts, of our world. Beautiful!
Mel says
Sometimes I think about the hidden places in my heart that have yet to be reached. I look forward to how God will choose to do that. 🙂 Thanks, Holley!
Rebekah Grace says
“This woman, who possessed nothing of earthly value, now had everything she would ever need”
This. Is. Truth.
Mel……you warm my heart with your adventures! Anticpating our run in the Heavens together……barefoot!!!!!
Mel says
I have to remind myself of what I truly need when I feel like I need more “stuff”. Father, keep me content and praising You for what You’ve given!
RG, we will have so much fun running barefoot someday! Blessings to you, my friend.
Lex says
I love that such a simple story can be such a powerful reminder of God’s unrelenting love for each and every one of us.
“May we all live with such gratitude.” Amen. 🙂
Mel says
I was thinking of that as I wrote this. It was such a simple experience but had a profound effect. I love how He loves…and the ways He teaches me just how deep that Love is. 🙂
“May we all live with such gratitude.”
May I live the words I wrote. Thanks, Lex. 🙂
Christan Perona says
Beautiful post. Thank so much for the reminder that the world is much, much bigger than we can imagine… that God is not the same race as I am… that He speaks to His people in whispers and phrases appropriate to their culture. Thank you. Thank you.
Mel says
Christan, so glad it was a blessing to you. Thanks for your sweet words. 🙂
Living the Balanced Life says
What an awesome story, true story, of an awesome transformation in a little Amazon village! Most of us are so blessed and don\’t even realize what we have.
Thank you for sharing!
Bernice
Have you outgrown your pot?
Mel says
Sometimes I wonder, too, what kind of impact that moment has had on those around her. I can’t wait to find out someday! 🙂 Thanks for reading.
Tobin says
It’s pretty cool to realize how that trip shaped so much of the rest of your life, and how God used that to lead us to Indonesia together. Without our separate experiences in South America way back when, who knows if we would have been so open to God’s calling later?
Mel says
I love you. I’m so thankful for the ways God has led us…and that we said yes when He was telling us to go. Thanks for being by my side. 🙂
For When It’s Hard to Feel says
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