Which Path Have You Chosen

As a follower of the Messiah I have come to realize that every person on earth has chosen one of two paths to follow. The path of purpose, redemption, and forgiveness which is given through the blood of Yeshua on the cross, or the path of this world which may bring temporal satisfaction but is filled with eternal despair and hopelessness. Many of you who know Jennie and I know our decision to serve God in Bolivia has been a long time in coming. We have prepared and planned for this move for months. This week as I have sat through hours of Spanish lessons I have once again been reminded of how God orchestrates our steps to serve the purpose he has in mind. Spanish lessons are long, tedious, and often mentally draining, but this week I finish my lessons with renewed strength and energy. I would love to share briefly the story of Patricia. Coming to Bolivia 4 weeks ago we anticipated 3 months of language school before we actually begin our work/”ministry” with FH in November. Knowing we would have lots on our plate we set as a goal to get settled and learn the language as quick as we could. Creating relationships is always on our radar but has been somewhat of an afterthought due to the language barrier. This week in school I have had a teacher named Patricia who is very nice and open to talking about anything. During class you basically just talk as this is one of the best ways to practice your speaking and be corrected in your vocabulary and grammar. I noticed early on that Patricia, along with the other teachers I have had, are very open to talking about religion, theology, and other “personal” beliefs. Patricia, like most Bolivians, considers herself Catholic but doesn’t seem to really know much about Catholicism and really has an animistic approach to worship. Worshipping a mixture of “gods” and basically a distant approach to any personal relationship at all. Well, throughout the week Patricia has been asking me all sorts of questions about good, evil, demon possession, Jesus walking on water, the resurrection, and tons of other topics. (Me explaining the answers to these questions in SPANISH has been extremely challenging.) She is very interested and eager to learn about what the Bible says. We even spent a good hour one day talking about Mormonism and the differences between the two religions. Numerous times throughout the week Patricia has said, “I need to get a Bible, I like what it has to say.” Then the next day she comes with more questions and we spend half our class talking about theology and the beliefs of Christianity. Well, yesterday I decided that I would go to a local bookstore and purchase a Bible for Patricia and give it to her as a gift at the end of the week. From there I figured God would move her heart as He saw fit. This morning I gave the Bible to Patricia and it was a really cool moment. Not only was she extremely excited but we then spent another hour walking through the Bible and I was able to share the set up of her Scriptures and how she can use the different resources in the back to aid her reading. She asked where she should start reading and I directed her toward the Gospels and explained a little background. Later in class I was assigned a worksheet to complete (over some nearly impossible preterit verbs) and I noticed while I was working that she picked up the Bible and started reading. After the assignment was complete we had about 30 minutes and she launched into more questions about what she was reading. She started reading in John 13:31-38. How she started here I am not sure, but she had lots of questions concerning Peter’s questions and what Jesus meant in this section. In only a way that God orchestrates I was able to walk her through the message of salvation and how such a decision impacts and affects her life. It was a beautiful reminder of the opportunities that surround all believers everyday. Patricia is on a journey and she has no idea where and how it will end. Today I shared with her about a path that brings eternal hope, peace, and life. A path that does not promise a pain-free life, but a life with purpose that puts the pain in perspective. I encourage you to seize the moment. Whether it is salvation for the first time or an opportunity to share eternal life with someone you can hardly speak to. Your moments are orchestrated … which path have you chosen. May the Lord bless Patricia as she seeks to find the path of truth and life in Him.