there's no shadow he won't light up

medellin. colombia. south america. 

what 

a 

trip.

we're already a month past it, and i still haven't found words for the experience. because God showed up. God showed up every day. he showed up in the still small voice that reigns supreme. 

he showed up in rain storms, in sunshine, in mud holes {covered in various animal paddies}, in shoe boxes, in swimming pools, in shared meals, in coffee cups, in silly games, in crazy bus rides, in testimonies, in bible stories, on the field, and in the stands of a stadium.

he showed up in two different languages. 

and sometimes both at once.

he showed up in exchanges with kids. 

he showed up in hugs from the kitchen staff who cooked us so many delicious meals. 

he showed up in games against the staff of cosdecol - the organization we partnered with - 

he showed up in worship songs.

he showed up among us as a team.

he.

showed.

up.

he used this trip to show me over and over again that it's ALL His. 

i gave a talk to cosdecol's staff on monday morning. i didn't really know what to talk about and despite the fact that i thought through it for a while, i didn't actually write it down until we were on the plane from miami to medellin. because i had more time to talk than i knew what to do with, and what the heck would i say anyway?

i felt very deeply that i didn't have anything to offer them. 

the crazy thing is that the most impactful part of the whole thirty-five minutes was one of the questions i got at the end: "is it more important that we love God, or that God loves us?"

and the Lord laid the answer on my mind as soon as it was asked:

we love because he first loved us.

i couldn't plan that. but God knew. he knew that the biggest thing to come out of that time isn't anything i could've planned for. but there it was. 

straight out of his word. 

we love because he first loved us. 

any love we have doesn't exist outside of the ability he gave us. 

that's just who he is.

we played games with so many kids in so many neighborhoods. we ate dinner with the all-star girls' team the night we arrived and attempted conversations with minimal english & spanish crossover. despite the hiccups it resulted in some really sweet {and funny} moments.

later in the week we got to visit the neighborhood of one of the girls and see bits and pieces of her life. 

to get to her neighborhood we took a car to a bus stop to a bus and met one of the coaches there for a 15 minute walk over uneven paths and "streets" that were cobbled together. 

it struck me as we walked through the neighborhood, over a walking bridge, and up a hill to a mostly dirt field, that it didn't matter where we were. many houses were still meticulously cared for. many houses had mini gardens outside the front door, and small porches that were swept clean. it didn't matter that the path was dusty and dirty. we all want beauty surrounding us.

and what a gift to have the eyes to see it.

we had so much fun with the kids there. we enjoyed every neighborhood we visited, but that one holds a special place in my heart. the generosity of the people there stood out. 

they made sure we had water, they gave us candy as gifts, let us pet some of the prettiest dogs i've ever seen, and insisted we share the birthday cake of one of the coaches.

leaving there didn't go quickly, and a few of the kids even followed us part of the way down the hill. communication only sort of happened.

but the Lord showed up.

because that's who he is.

and that's what he does.

in another neighborhood - a part of their extension program, which means it was farther away - we got to be the very first partner group to ever visit and play a game with the boys and girls there. in that neighborhood we also got the distinct privilege to hand out operation christmas child shoeboxes. we got to watch the kids open their shoeboxes.

i cannot begin to describe all of the humbling and overwhelming feelings that went into those moments.

i also wish i could explain the peaceful calm that enveloped me on the trip. 

leading up to it, i was a mess. 

so for once, i didn't pretend to be ok. 

i reached out for prayer. and once we got to colombia i hardly worried about anything for 7 days.

God showed up.

because

that's who he is. 

that's what he does.

it wasn't about me before we left.

or on the trip.

or now that we're back.

but he used it in my life anyway.

the Lord moved and worked in undeniable ways.

through the game of soccer.

through prayer in small groups.

through the staff we worked with.

through the kids we saw each day.

through the smiles and the laughter.

through finding the right words in spanish, 

and sometimes finding the wrong ones.

 

he is for us.

he provides everything we need.

and he is the goodest-good.

the only real good there is.

te amo medellin

xoxo