My birthday.....

Proverbs 14:25
25 A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.

I was greeted yesterday with the stomping of little feet, the patter of Lily crawling, and Mike giggling as the boys jumped into bed and told me I had wrinkles..

Its official, I am 28! I am another year older; another year wiser, or so I like to think! We made a celebration of my birthday by heading to the park with my new friend Kelly, juggling children back and forth in her car, rest time, birthday cake making, and of course an evening out on the town with the children.. We decided to go to AK Plaza for dinner and finish out the evening making tourists of ourselves. We traveled around downtown Pyeongtaek, did some shopping in the local stores, and made our way through the outdoor market. With tons of fresh fruits, vegetables, poultry, and seafood, all of our senses were highly fascinated. We were a bit caught off guard as we turned a corner to see a dog, cut on the butcher block and ready for purchase. Kayden's innocence left him longing for an answer to why someone would want to hurt a pet…. We tried our best to explain that pets are not what people eat, but simply dogs that are breed for food. You could see his mind working as he tried to put the pieces to this mystery together.. He was dumbfounded…

As we continued to walk on, we saw beautiful mounds of carrots larger than any I had ever seen, green onions that varied in size from 4 feet to .5 an inch in length, and large juicy apples that left us hungry as we tried our best to only purchase what we really needed…. Then we were again caught off guard, not by an unusual sight, but by an elderly woman who had stopped us to give a religious tract. She stood, stared, and spoke no English.. We once again were lost in translation. The tract was in English so we searched the words to see if it contained the Word, signs that what she was sharing was our Truth.. I was not large in size, but had a few pages to flip… We turned each one, and spoke to her the only word that we knew she would understand…. “Jesus?” She was frail, but you could see here gentle spirit; brave to share her truth with us….

She nodded her head, pointed to her heart, and walked away…

I tucked the tract into my purse and continued on into the adventure that awaited the market.. As we looked at mini crabs, large eels, and pig heads, I couldn’t help but think of this women…
This morning I woke, not with the joy that usually accompanies a good night’s sleep, but instead with a heavy heart. I went to my purse and grabbed the tract from where it was snuggly tucked! I turned it over to see what my heart had dreaded; this woman does not know my God, she doesn’t know the truth, she is lost…

This tender woman, older than my 28 years, has found a false god… She has not only found an idol, but she is sharing it…

My heart shudders and I hear it break…

The Lord calls me to share my faith, to share Him.. An act of obedience, an act that all too often leaves me trembling with fear.. I am afraid to approach, afraid to impose, afraid to infringe.. I, the one who sings for large crowds, can make friends with a wall, and never shows fear, am afraid of sharing the love of God.. Each day I get better, for each day I grow closer to Him through His word. But even now, I am afraid to do what this woman has done...

In the midst of all the language challenges, I know that one word can break barriers across oceans, because “Jesus” is a universal language. A language that everyone can understand… I pray for strength to share His love, for all around us, lost are seeking… John 14:6 “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” NO ONE…. Not one, will enter unless they hear, repent, follow, and believe… For He is the way, the only way!

I pray for the women at the market.

I pray for strength to answer His call.

I pray.