Hope Shifts

I had the opportunity to talk for several minutes to one of the young women who works at the orphanage and hear a bit of her story. She's a very sweet young lady. She's been there full time a little over a year. She walked away from a teaching job to devote her life to these kids in Tijuana. She told me that her mom and other family members don't necessarily "appreciate" (shall I say) what she's doing or where she's at. It broke my heart to hear that. I could tell that she deals with some pain from it as well.

But that's the way the world is ... it doesn't always understand how God works and the importance of letting Him work. And that's part of the beauty and wonder and mystery of God.

One thing that struck me in Tijuana was the number of people who really have walked entirely away from family and friends to do God's work there. Though there are exceptions, generally folks in paid or vocational ministry here in the states do not have to just walk away from family to do what they're called to do.

But when you're called into the deepest darkness, seemingly even teetering on the brink of hell at times, people don't understand.

And yet so many folks we met in Tijuana still have responded to the call regardless of the cost. And God is doing bright and marvelous things through them.

It makes one think about our lives here in the states ... how often we resist even gentle nudges to follow God's will ... even when doing so would bring us no real loss. But in Tijuana folks are giving it their all ... often at great cost. Because they know that all they really need is Jesus.

On Wednesday evening, as we met in the orphanage's chapel for their mid-week church service along with many who work and live there, Pam sang for us. Without any accompaniment, just the purity of her voice, we all realized that these folks who are giving it their all really are doing it right. They are realizing God's Kingdom here on earth. Because they know that they have all they really need. Here's what Pam sang:

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise

Give me Jesus.
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

When I am alone,
When I am alone,
When I am alone,
Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

When I come to die,
When I come to die,
When I come to die,
Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus.
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus.
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus.
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
Just give me Jesus.