All because...

3 weeks ago I met a young lady. Her name is Wilda. Wilda showed up at the work site where we had a team serving. She seemed curious about the team and what they were doing. They were building a house for a family who lost their house in the earthquake 2 years ago.

As the team got to work, I walked over to Wilda to talk with her. I asked her about herself. She is 24 years old, has a 18 month old son named Junior, and lives not far from where we were serving. She talked with me for a while that morning and watched as the team cleaned, knocked down remaining walls, and carried many blocks up a steep hill.

The next day, she showed up again but she was more talkative. For some reason, I asked her if she went to church and she said “No”. I asked if she had accepted Jesus into her life, she also answered “No”. My heart instantly ached for this woman and her son. I called Odne, my brother-in-law, over and had him talk to her about a church nearby that we had been attending. We invited her to come the following Sunday.

The last day the team was serving there, Wilda hopped in line with the team and helped them pass buckets of sand down another steep hill. She was talking with the team as much as she could and they loved her. As we were leaving, Wilda was not there, but we prayed for her anyways and at the meeting that night, we talked about her again. We prayed for her that night again. I know the team will remember her.

That Sunday, the church was packed. I didn't see Wilda come in, but when it was time for the visitors to introduce themselves, she stood up. The person talking with the visitors asked who she was and where she was from and if she had accepted Jesus into her life. She answered the first two questions easily. The third one, she hesitated on. He asked her if she would like to accept Jesus into her life right now. She said yes. Tears came to my eyes. I looked at Al and smiled. Praise God!

I exchanged numbers with Wilda and have been getting a few messages here and there. Tonight, I saw her around the community. I greeted her and she asked when we will be seeing each other again. I hope to see her and spend more time with her again soon.

It is interesting to me that even though Wilda and I live in neighboring communities, we wouldn't have met unless this team would have come. We wouldn't have met if the pastor in that community wouldn't have invited us to serve at this location. We wouldn't have met if I was placed at a different site that week. I am honored to have been a tool for God to use in this way. I don't take credit for myself, but rejoice that God is doing a great work.

May God continue to use me as we continue to serve with our teams in different communities for the next month or two. It is a beautiful thing God is doing and it is a privilege for me to be His servant here.