Truly Inspiring
Today's topic: Someone that inspires you
Last weekend, we took a trip out to the far eastern tip of the island. Since I had never been more than an hour outside of the capital city where we live, it was a wonderful adventure indeed. Diverse landscapes, roaming animals, colourful fruit & veg markets..... so much to see! But the best part of the trip was the incredible, faithful people that we met at the church.
Things are difficult in Lospalos. Just over 200km from Dili, it takes between 6.5-7+ hours to get there due to the road conditions in some places. It's rural and people work hard. Life is especially challenging for the Adventist members there. Many have been disowned, kicked out of their homes, hated by their neighbours, beaten up, and threatened to be killed. On a regular basis they endure rocks being thrown at the church and their houses. We only experienced a single rock being thrown while we were there; the reverberating sound of a rock landing on an uninsulated tin roof is startling, to say the least - imagine being repeatedly woken up at night like that, night after night.
But the inspiring part is that they are whole-heartedly, unreservedly faithful to God. They are willing to endure these hardships and challenges for what they believe in. And it shines out of them - you see it in their smiles and their desire to share it with others.
One church member that we spent quite a bit of time with over the weekend is a man named Jalando. He shared with us his story about how he became an Adventist and how it almost ended his marriage before his wife was also convicted by the truth. He shared with us story after story about how he's been sharing his faith with family members, and how slowly, one-by-one they are also making decisions for Christ. He showed us his "war room" where he has several prayer lists taped to the walls and he spends hours on his knees praying for the souls of his family and friends who have yet to receive the truth. It was truly inspiring to be in his war room, praying together, and seeing how his faith in Christ influences every aspect of his life. His relationship with God, and that of many of the other church members out there, is vibrant, alive, and truly inspiring.
Last weekend, we took a trip out to the far eastern tip of the island. Since I had never been more than an hour outside of the capital city where we live, it was a wonderful adventure indeed. Diverse landscapes, roaming animals, colourful fruit & veg markets..... so much to see! But the best part of the trip was the incredible, faithful people that we met at the church.
Things are difficult in Lospalos. Just over 200km from Dili, it takes between 6.5-7+ hours to get there due to the road conditions in some places. It's rural and people work hard. Life is especially challenging for the Adventist members there. Many have been disowned, kicked out of their homes, hated by their neighbours, beaten up, and threatened to be killed. On a regular basis they endure rocks being thrown at the church and their houses. We only experienced a single rock being thrown while we were there; the reverberating sound of a rock landing on an uninsulated tin roof is startling, to say the least - imagine being repeatedly woken up at night like that, night after night.
But the inspiring part is that they are whole-heartedly, unreservedly faithful to God. They are willing to endure these hardships and challenges for what they believe in. And it shines out of them - you see it in their smiles and their desire to share it with others.
One church member that we spent quite a bit of time with over the weekend is a man named Jalando. He shared with us his story about how he became an Adventist and how it almost ended his marriage before his wife was also convicted by the truth. He shared with us story after story about how he's been sharing his faith with family members, and how slowly, one-by-one they are also making decisions for Christ. He showed us his "war room" where he has several prayer lists taped to the walls and he spends hours on his knees praying for the souls of his family and friends who have yet to receive the truth. It was truly inspiring to be in his war room, praying together, and seeing how his faith in Christ influences every aspect of his life. His relationship with God, and that of many of the other church members out there, is vibrant, alive, and truly inspiring.
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