October

I prayed that although I am going for a vacation in Oahu, God will provide me an opportunity to continue to serve Him. Churro (a pseudonym), was among the individuals I met on my one week break. I believe that in God's perfect time, He allowed us to meet.  Throughout the week, I noticed that Churro was somewhat quiet and reserved. A part of me felt like he needed someone to talk to, yet unable to open up. As we gradually learned more about each other, I told him that as a friend, I am willing to listen to him. I was not sure how comfortable he would be being vulnerable in front of me since we just met. But, I felt convicted to tell him multiple times since it seemed like he had a lot on his mind. I wanted to assure him that there was somebody who cared for him as a friend. A couple of days later, Churro started to open up to me. His mother had an affair, leaving him, his dad, and his other siblings. After being gone for a long time, his mother came back and Churro hoped that his parents would be able to work things out. Sadly, it became worse. His mother became an alcoholic and eventually she developed liver failure that led her to be in life support leading to the decision to pull out the ventilator. At a young age, he witnessed his mother having hallucinations, his father going through a rough time, having to take care of his younger siblings, and losing his mother. He told me that there were things he wished he did not say to her, he wonders what it would be like if they had not decided to take her off the life support, and he struggles with the past trauma. On top of that, he is currently dealing with finances, missing his father and siblings, and sometimes feeling lost. After hearing his story, I started tearing up because no human should go through such pain. He had some difficult questions for me. One of the questions he asked was how to get over the feeling of grieving because he felt like he should be over it after 6 years. It took me a while to figure out what to say to him... It was getting late too, so I called it a night. Before I went to bed, I prayed that God will help me use the right words, and say exactly what he needed to hear. Since I did not get the chance to say it to him in person, I decided to text him.  After praying, I felt God had answered very quickly, and put the right words to say in my heart. I quickly began to type, and as soon as I hit send, I went right to bed. The next morning, I received a text from him saying, "Kamea, I really appreciate what you have to say, and thank you for being willing to even listen. I don't know what it is, but I felt the need to share with you a little bit of what I'm feeling now. Something about the way you carry yourself and that super caring nature of yours is just so welcoming, so I thank you for that. I have no doubt that you're doing God's work here, and I appreciate you being here to minister and give me these words that I needed to hear. Thank you so much for being here for me tonight." He told me that he was so overwhelmed because he has been seeking advice for 6 YEARS and had not heard anything like what was told to him. So, he really needed to hear it.  His message to me was just enough to remind me that even when I do feel spiritually low, God is still using me in ways that I don't notice. I can truly say that God allowed us to meet each other so we can encourage one another. To readers of this blog, I ask that you please pray for this person and that he continues to lean on God for his source of strength, comfort and peace. Please also keep his family in prayer.