by Jaclyn S. Cross Point Church
When you picture a holy place where you go to experience God, what do you see? Probably not a garbage dump. Imagine for a moment living within a dump walking down the street with piles of garbage on both sides. You spend the day gathering and sorting trash for a living.
Now imagine in the middle of the garbage a holy place; church where the presence of the Lord spills through the doors and fills you with awe and wonder. This is where God met us today.
Traveling to work in a clinic for children with special needs, our team literally walked through garbage. Once inside, therapists, doctors and teachers were waiting to greet us. As they began to unpack the work they do, we listened in awe of their hearts and the vision for their people.
They talked about the history of where we stood, but what struck our team most was the team’s hope and assurance for the future of their clinic. Not only did they talk about the physical ways they planned to help, but they emphasized the importance of the whole person; spiritually, physically and emotionally.
Before beginning our work, we were invited to visit the church at the top of the clinic. Walking into the sanctuary, the artwork was breath-taking. Every wall was covered in images of the miracles that Jesus performed: healing the sick, the blind and the paralyzed. Even though there are language barriers and even literacy barriers, anyone that walks into the sanctuary can see people that stir Jesus’s heart. The presence of the Lord is overwhelming in this place.
The rest of the morning was spent working with patients and teaching the therapists. One of our team members, Jaclyn said, “Seeing their (the team’s) hearts for the ministry inspired us deeply, and it was a blessing to see the way they love the kids and their families.”
One of the stories that Jacklin saw stuck with her all day.
She worked with one patient that was a young girl who could not walk or stand before she started coming to the clinic. However today, she was able to walk holding our hands and climbed the stairs all by herself, after only being in the clinic for 3 months.
Jesus says in Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” From a ministry that began with volunteers going house to house collecting kids with special needs for Sunday school, this place has expanded into a beautiful picture of Jesus’ heart for children.
In the middle of the garbage, God’s presence is seen in the actions of the therapists, teachers, and directors. God loves His people, and is changing a community. This is what God does when He gets ahold of a community. He builds up His followers to be the carriers of His Spirit to the most destitute places in the world.
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