Encourage

¹¹ Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. ¹² May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. ¹³ May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

It has been a whirlwind of adventures the past few weeks, and I have seen God at work so much both in Chile and here in the states! I am still trying to process everything, so bear with me as the words are not quite there...

I feel like I have seen the family of God and the church in a different light recently. God has given us this amazing gift of brothers and sisters in Christ so that we may have fellowship, accountability, encouragement, and in all of that people to travel with in this journey that we are all in together.

People have been asking me why we went to Chile, and what we did. Although we did not do too many physical things besides a small construction project, we did share God's love.

We showed 40+ kids just how special they are to God by throwing them a birthday party, knowing that this was the first party for many of them.

We gave hugs and kisses to Mapuche children, who are some of the lowest social standing kids in Chile. Many had never been told that they are loved.

We listened to people's stories and prayed for them.

We shared our faith stories and found people 6000 miles away who were going through the same things we are.

We gave encouragement to a pastor and his family who have had a really rough two years, and were told that our being there was like an "injection" from God.

We worshiped our amazing Savior together, despite a language barrier, and we all knew that God understood each and every one of us.

We were blessed by people that have next to nothing.

It's amazing to me that we are part of such a big family of God. I often get so absorbed in my own little bubble at my church and forget to pray for and encourage those who are not so close to home. It is a blessing to be able to encourage and to be encouraged in our faith.

So, take a chance to encourage someone today. Ask them how they're doing. You never know the impact that you might have.

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17