place of refuge

it's hard to believe that this month is nearly over. i've seen so much, walked on the ground of some of the hardest realities. i do not know where to bring. i am reluctant on what to share with you. these past few weeks we visited several churches planted in strategic slums scattered throughout the area. each site has a team of two or three MMP pastors living among the people partnering with nearby churches. i answered one pastor when he asked me what was different among the sites we've visited, i said it was the way each one was composed structurally, based on its surrounding environment. for the houses closest to the water source, one community (or village) built their houses on stilts so that when it flooded they had a place of refuge, however, poor sanitation is exacerabated when the flood comes so really no home escapes the flood. another difference among the sites were needs. one site needing electricity to run their water system, another needing the second floor and roof for the preschool building. as i walked and listened to the pastors and other servants at each site, my heart becomes so heavy. their needs are overwhelming, their opposition seems impentratable. yet, these pastors know and walk with the lord in way that i can not fathom, but truly desire. i can see that they too have weaved their lives, their hearts to the community that the lord has placed them, adapting to the environments, building & structuring their hearts to that of the lords in these forgotten places. they are not forgotten, i am learning that they are the ones that have captured the heart of god.