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Godard Newsletter January 2007 |
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Dear Friends
Yesterday we went looking for wisdom and heard her speak through an elderly shoe shiner in the public square.
¨Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:
‘How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.’” Proverbs 1:20-23
From Jan. 4-14 the Matthew Team is leading a program called HADIME (a Spanish acronym for Making Disciples in Mexico). Together with 6 young adults (4 Mexicans, 1 Colombian and 1 Canadian) we have been studying and practicing Jesus’ model of discipleship. We have been growing in love, compassion, wisdom and obedience.
Yesterday was a challenging day. We accompanied five women from our M.B. churches in GDL at a state run hospital where they discipled us through their ministry of mercy. These women know how to embrace, intercede for, love, comfort and speak encouragement to those in very desperate need! For most of our young adults, this was the first time they had stood at the bedside of the dying or were confronted with the sights and smells of a less than sterile environment. But all of us were strengthened by our “sisters of love”, who week after week, for the past twelve years have given themselves to God for His service.
From the hospital we headed to the main square of GDL. Our assignments were to “hear wisdom raise her voice in the public square” or “act as a disciple of Jesus in the noisy streets”. Some invited the poor to share their lunch, others gave words of encouragement and hope to the lonely. Trever and I chatted with a 77 yr. old shoe shiner, who slowly, meticulously polished Trever’s shoes so that our conversation could last a little longer! There, in the center of the city square we heard wisdom speak through an elderly shoe shiner. We had the sense that wisdom had poured out her heart and made her thoughts known to him. He spoke of people having lost their way in life, of people’s dissatisfaction with what they have and a greed having taken hold of so many hearts. He was emphatic about God being our meaning, satisfaction and wisdom for life. Most of us who know and live that truth may not see that as profound wisdom, but think of it - what would our world’s public squares, noisy streets, city gateways be like if people found their meaning, satisfaction and wisdom in God. Would our streets be filled with the poor, lonely, destitute and dying? Would not God’s wisdom guide us in taking care of each other’s needs?
Tomorrow Trever, Sandra and Jen take the HADIME participants to an indigenous (the Chichimeca people group) town for three days of ministry alongside a Mexican missionary family. They will have opportunity to get to know the Chichimeca culture, teach in a primary school, be hosted in indigenous homes, do open air evangelism and take Operation Christmas Child boxes to a group of 45 young children. Please pray for God’s wisdom to be poured out over them as they learn and teach.
Kenia was back to school this week after a relaxing Christmas vacation, Aaron was back to university after three weeks with us and Silas left Australia for six weeks of outreach in Thailand. Please pray for all of them as they listen to God’s voice and learn to apply His wisdom to life experiences.
Thank you for your partnership and prayers. May your voices be heard calling people to seek for True Wisdom.
-Trever & Joan Godard.
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