In 2008 I went on a mission trip to Mexico City; the purpose of this trip was to hand out 4,000 copies of the Gospel of John. The whole time leading up to this trip I felt as if God was going to really reveal something to me; in fact, I told my wife this before I actually made the decision to even talk to the pastor about the mission trip. When we arrived to the church in Mexico City and did the introductions between everyone they begin to beak us off in teams. There were 6 of us and I was just praying to myself at this point for me to be placed with someone that could speak English. Well, God had other plans for me the first day; no one in my group spoke English and they didn’t understand a word I was saying and vice versa. So the first full day of this trip I was totally dependent on people that I couldn’t understand, it was crazy; however, there were two days that I was paired with a young man, Miguel, who did speak English. As I mentioned earlier, the purpose of this trip was to hand out 4,000 copies of the Gospel of John to households throughout the area we were serving. Again, God had other plans for me during this time.
Me and Miguel started off one day after lunch, just me and him; two strangers. As we began our walk throughout the community we began to talk, mostly small talk about cultural differences and sports until he ask me a question that would start our two day journey. As we walked along the street he asked if I was married in which I responded yes. We then started to discuss his girlfriend and their desire to marry each other. Miguel expressed concerns about marriage and he shared that he still drank and partied. I responded and said “I used to do that”, he was surprised because in his words “I didn’t seem like that.” As we openly discussed the struggles that we had both encountered with alcohol, drugs, and the effects of certain types of music we started to develop trust between each other. After we had gotten into some pretty deep conversations about different situations while handling out gospels to households, he ask me a question that still impacts me to this day, “I want to ask you something because I know you don’t know anyone here and won’t tell anyone.” This took me aback. He then asked me about pornography, strippers, masturbation, pretty much all aspects of sexual sin. Everything that I had struggled with first hand. Miguel and I shared deep conversation about the struggles of sin in our lives; I shared my testimony about breaking the bondage of alcohol and drugs and shared with him my struggles with sexual sin. As we handed out gospels to residents of Mexico City we shared how God was working in our lives and breaking sin in our lives as well as our struggles with sexual sin and lust in our hearts.
Here I was, thousands of miles from home in the second largest city in the world connecting with a young man about the same exact struggles I was encountering in my life. In 2Corinthians 5:11 says “…we persuade people. We are completely open before God, and I hope we are completely open to your consciences as well.” I was completely open with Miguel as he was with me, we did this before God. Sharing our brokenness with each other somehow fit into one another’s lives, our entire lives. Miguel and I had an intimate moment with each other not because of the righteousness that we tried to reflect, but by the “crap” that we were dealing with. I spoke into Miguel’s live about alcohol and drug abuse and we encouraged each other with our struggles with sexual sin. Embracing the reality of the world we live in and the addictions, emotional damage, lustful desires and the basic selfishness that we ALL struggle with each day communicates truth. It demonstrates that we understand this life we live and this world we live in.
We are alone and our lives don’t make any sense because God never intended for us to stand alone. Each one of our lives where made by God. We all have a testimony of some sort, broken marriages restored, divorce, abuse, addiction, sexual abuse, financial problems– anything that we have or are still struggling with can be used for God’s glory! Someone out there is looking for a reason to believe, to continue fighting. God intended for us to connect to the brokenness in the world we live in to reflect a perfect God.
God uses imperfect people to represent a perfect God.
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