The last week here in Mazatlan has been life changing for me. God has revealed how he can work through me in astonishing ways...I am gaining more and more confidence in my God and what he can do through my simple obedience.
Some of you may know about Carnival. It is held down here in Mazatlan during the first week of March every year. Our base takes advantage of the huge flood of people that comes to Carnival by praying for them and sharing Jesus with them through actions and words.
There were five different ministry groups that I could choose from. One was the intercession team. Their focus is to keep up 24/7 prayer, which required some very dedicated people to volunteer to pray and stay up during the very early morning hours. This team also had some people go into the actual gates of Carnival, doing anything from evangelism, to worship, to praying for people. What happened through this group was extremely radical and breath-taking! There was one night in particular where several physical healings took place after they prayed!!! Here are just a few of them:
* one blind guy began to see light and the color blue!!!
* a mute man began speaking!!!
* one man who had pain in his knees started dancing!!!
* an entire band of men who had various joint or muscular ailments were healed and began to move more freely!!!
Those of you who know Tom and Jessy O'Brien were on this team (just to note...they are awesome!)
Then there was a group of people who ran an outside cafe just outside the gates of Carnival. Their job was to serve people coffee and cookies and talk to people about Jesus. This group was extremely important because it not only opened up the opportunity to engage in deep conversations with people who are hungry for God, but it also was a refuge for people who had just gotten saved and wanted to know more. Many of the evangelists would direct those who accepted Jesus on the streets to this cafe so they could be further blessed with God's presence.
Another teams was the media team-they are responsible for letting the world know what God did during Carnival because pictures and short films were made available on facebook. They are also the team to thank for the pictures I can now post on this blog....
Last but not least, there were two evangelism teams. One team stayed outside the gates, where it is less crazy. Then there is another team that goes into the gates....which is where it can get dangerous sometimes. I heard about some people getting so drunk that there were a few deaths. Also, the last night is the "husbands night", where they leave their wives at home and go find another woman to sleep with. I won't get into the details, but it gets ugly.....
So I was in the group that goes into the gates of Carnival. Our YWAM group had just gotten done with a week of classes on evangelism and I felt a deep conviction rise up from deep inside me to reach the lost, no matter what the cost is. I recently read this story of people approaching this cliff to fall into eternal darkness, but they were completely blind. They had no idea where they were headed. Only until they actually fell into the eternal pit did they realize what was happening....and it was too late at that point. And all the while, groups of people who could see and knew better than to head for the cliff, just sat in a circle, singing hymns and praising God, turning their eyes away from where all the blind people were headed. They were all there, able to stand in the way and prevent the people from traveling toward the cliff. And sometimes, one person would stand up and try to save another headed for destruction. But then another would say, "oh, its okay. God hasn't given us the signal yet. Lets just sit here and keep praising God for saving us".
The sad thing is, this is a very true story of how people are today. We are too afraid of what people will say to us or think of us if we dare to tell them the gospel. In reality, there is not much a person can do to me in Mexico or in my own country accept for reject me or make fun of me. I just think of the greatest risk-having to actually go to prison or die for the sake of bringing even one more soul to Christ....and it would be worth it.
When I really let what Jesus did on the cross sink into my very soul, it breaks me. Just think about it-if there was even just one person that would believe Jesus died for them on the cross and confess that Jesus is their Lord and savior, He would have still died. Just for that one. That's how much of a treasure each person is to God. So to think about how he must feel when each soul blindly falls into an eternal pit of darkness, where there is great weeping, hopelessness, and pain....because we were to afraid to go tell them the truth. How can they accept the gift if they don't flat out hear the actual message? I think sometimes Christians beat around the bush and don't actually say what Jesus did for them on the cross. They sort of just hope that a word here or there would bring the point across....why not just take the risk of being foolish and tell them the entire thing? It's much more direct that way.
It is with this conviction that my group went into the gates to tell the lost about the hope they can have in Jesus. There were about five students, some staff members, and a few others who came just for Carnival from other regions. After having a time of worship from seven to nine pm each night, we walked together into the gates and then split up into groups of two. I was always paired with another guy who can speak Spanish fluently. What I saw God do was a major breakthrough for me. I didn't speak Spanish, but I was able to lead several people to God by simply telling the story of what Jesus did for them. I carried some flashcards around that had the gospel in Spanish on it. I also carried a cube around that had pictures about what Jesus did for them.
I remember seeing quite a few "beer girls" who would wear silver costumes and dance in front of the beer stands. God really called me to talk to them. Being one of only a few women in our evangelism team, it would be easier to get God's love across to them through me because I didn't feel as awkward as some of the guys in our group. I was able to lead about 3-4 of them to God.
Another time, God convicted me to walk up to a group of six guys all at once. God gave me conviction to walk straight up to them and get their immediate attention. He totally gave me the words to say and I could see I had their interest and attention. The authority I saw myself walking in even took me by surprise...after I shared what Jesus had done, all six of them were saved. As I looked into each one of their eyes and took them in, seeing them as God would, I also saw the conviction that God was placing on them through me. It was amazing....
Another time, there was a drunk guy I helped lead to the Lord. God told me to talk to him about alcoholism and to ask him if this was a particular struggle in his life. He said yes, and I responded with, "God can help you through that. He doesn't want you to fill yourself up with something that leaves you empty like that. He wants to bring deep healing to your life". After I was finished, he through away his beer and went home.
Sometimes, I would get paired with a translator that pretty much took over. That was good because I prayed silently while he shared Jesus with people....but when I was able to talk, I loved the things God was able to speak through me, even though I don't speak Spanish! One particular night, God was totally on fire inside of me-my translator allowed me to do all the talking, which I absolutely loved! Together, we talked to 51 people and led 33 people to the Lord.
To be able to worship God in such a way-by telling people who are lost about God's great love for them, is the ultimate way to love Jesus back. Our speaker pointed out how this form of worship is the only form we won't be able to continue after we die. It's only here in this life where we can win souls over for Jesus.
I had a picture in my mind recently about the pain God has for those who don't ever come to know Him. I see Jesus hanging on the cross, breathing his last breaths of life. He is covered in blood and shame...but also, every demon in hell is pouring out every kind of darkness, anguish, and hopelessness on Him. I picture Him doing all this for me, for you, for them. Although he knows this horrible sacrifice he is making is not in vain for those who accept the gift, it does become a vain thing for those who never hear about it. All I can see is Jesus up on that cross, crying out, weeping, screaming in vain as all those who are blind silently fall over the cliff into eternal darkness, never to be united with Jesus. After all the physical suffering He undergoes, as well as the spiritual darkness He experiences on the cross, the worst torment of all is that He knows some will still not be saved. This is what so many Christians need to realize in order to tell people about Jesus with passion, shaking off all fear of man and simply walking in obedience.
So that is it in a nutshell! I am now preparing to go on outreach. For those of you who don't know yet, I am going to be spending four weeks in Mexico City and four weeks in Chiapas, another state in Mexico that is close to Central America. This is where I could use your help....I need about another $1,400 dollars to cover the rest of my outreach phase and simple living expenses. Please pray about whether you should give money or not. Those who listen to God and obey by giving play just as much of a role as the actual worker. The truth is, I cannot move forward spreading the glory of God and helping the lost without your help. So please, don't hesitate to give if God has impressed this on your heart to do!!! You are a crucial piece of the puzzle.
