In our weakness...He is strong. (Savannah, GA)

Sometimes it seems that God will show just enough of his character to bow us down before Him...and the more He reveals to us, the more we realize how much more there is to learn. We came on this journey expecting to blow into towns and flip it upside down with whatever words that the Lord would give us to say. Instead, we are finding ourselves sitting back, learning, and soaking in the grandness of God while automatically/consequently falling down more and more at the foot of the cross. 

We met a girl named Jill the other day.  She reminded us that when God says His “strength is made perfect” in our weakness, that He means it.  She said it is a dependent relationship between strength and weakness. God needs us to understand our smallness in order to make Himself big through us.  If we think we know it all already or if we think we are strong enough to win every battle already...God has no room to work.  He wants to blow up the United States with His name...but in order for us to be used in this battle, we need to duck and let him fight over us/for us.  God tells us to “Be still, and I will fight for you.” He tells Martha that “only one thing is necessary,” to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to what He wants from us.  If we continually fight to do big things, just for the sake of saying “Big things happened in Savannah,” nothing eternal will grow. It is only God who makes big things happen, not us....because when we become strong in ourselves and in our own plans, God becomes weak in us. 

So...with that being said...we are learning an armpit load about what God is doing in Savannah, GA. There is a church named Savannah Christian with a guy named Paul on staff. Paul in kinda in charge of the local missions.  We talked with him for awhile about our heart and desire for the city and he sent us to some precious Hispanic pastors named Israel and Jose.  They are both leading up a ministry with the illegal immigrants in Savannah.  Paul told us that a lot people disagree with the ministry.  There are people who think that we need to stop taking care of the illegals, and send them back to where they came from.  Then Paul continued, “It is world wide missions right here in our front yard. They are going to be here no matter what. We might as well show them the love of Christ while we can.” (We put quotations around that like it was  verbatim but it may be a word or two off). If a man finds the Lord while here in the States, he will take his new life back to his country and share it with his people....thats global missions. 

When we pulled up to the small church, we saw about 20 guys playing soccer or sitting under a little canopy thingy.  We tried to talk to a couple of them and learned pretty quick that they do no speak much english. Israel told us that the foreigners use to wait outside of an old gas station for day jobs. They would drink all day, fight, and steal.  Then when somebody would pull up for a couple workers they would all pounce on the vehicle like animals trying to get in for some work.  The cops kicked them out of that area and this church took them in on their property.  At first Israel said it was a mess.  He said that the guys were just as chaotic on the church property as they were outside of that gas station.  Through the Lord’s provision, Israel and Jose fought hard to being order to the craziness. They now have a system for the men. They arrive early in the morning, sign up, and when the employers drive in Israel, assigns the workers according to skills and hours. The church provides muffins and coffee for breakfast and serves them lunch 6 days a week. The Lord has produced fruit in this ministry over the course of a year. By his Spirit, God has made soft the hearts of hard men and put in them an appreciation for those who are serving him faithfully. They now help with work around the church, clean up after meals, and many attend services on the weekends. Some have come to know Jesus as their savior and others are beginning to ask questions. The Holy Spirit no doubt has his hand in the ministry.

We are spending our days cooking lunch for the workers. We’re working along side of Pastor Jose and are learning a great deal about mexican cooking. We share meals and play soccer with the men but we struggle to communicate with them. We are praying that they can see the light that lives in us even though we cannot verbally share it with them.  We have found ourselves in a position that forces our reliance upon God. We are uncomfortable and awkward but confident in God's ability all at the same time. When it  comes to speaking spanish, we are weak...but when it comes to breaking barriers, God is strong.  We are dependent on Him.  So, we dare you to join us in prayer :)