Tuesday, October 09, 2007

My Little Sister

God never ceases to surprise me in how He can transform peoples heart. A couple years ago I met a younger sister in Christ who is 5 years my junior. Some times you meet people and there is that kind of bond or connection that you know something significant is going to come off this friendship but you have no idea what it will be. Such was the encounter I had after having an unexpected dinner with her. For those who know me, these past 10 years I have hung around a lot of Koreans such that my Korean friends are convinced that I am a 'wannabe Korean' but I tell them its only their food I'm interested in :-) Actually it is just one dish---Kalbi and if you have never had it and are a meat lover you MUST try it! Anyway, why do I tell you all of this?

Well my little sister is Korean but her's is a very fascinating story. While she was being shaped in her mother's womb the enemy tried to destroy her but God miraculously preserved her life through a series of interventions. When I first heard her story I got goose pimples up my back because I felt I was sitting before someone who was a miracle from God. The lengths and depths and breadth that He went to protect and preserve her life while she was still being fashioned in her mother's womb made me conclude that He wanted to use her significantly in her generation. But more than that, it demonstrated to me how deeply God must love her that He would literally pull out all the stops to protect her life. Fast forward some 30 something years and here she is a a grown up woman with lots of questions but one who has come out of a 'fog' that seemed to be over her life in her teenage years and early 20s. Now she is a woman after God's own heart...seeking Him and continuously pursuing Him with with such intensity. Last October, I approached her as I felt God laying her on my heart to spend more time intentionally with her and I invited her to come to a weekly bible study that my church was having. We were studying a series by Beth Moore called Believing God. (And if you haven't heard of Beth Moore or done any of her bible studies, I encourge you to do so. That particular study has revolutioned my thinking and God has used it so powerfully in my life). Anyway I digress. My 'sister' who I call GK came and God began to forge a friendship between us. Over this past year, I have seen Him transform her heart and mind and deepen her understanding of who He is. But more than that, her desire to walk blameless before the Lord in all areas of her life has been one of the ways God has used her to challenge me to keep seeking those higher heights in Him.

Over the past few months she offered to be my 'gopher' at the Slaying the Giant conference. In her words 'she just wanted to support me after all I had done in her life' but I laughed at her and said 'GK this is not about me, even though you think you are helping me in this conference, this is about God and He has something for you because He sees your heart and your desire to serve.' Little did either of us know what He had in mind. So as time progressed GK confessed she had no interest in child sex trafficking nor Cambodia. In fact she acknowledged that she was only participating to simply help me and I remember telling her that that was okay since God doesn't call us all to have the same passions but He is more interested in our hearts. So she continued to help despite feeling sick. At times she would say how energized she felt when helping me to prepare the conference survey and reviewing the flow of the service for that day etc. On the conference day she showed up ever so faithfully and did exactly what she said she would do. She became my gopher, doing what ever I asked and making sure I ate, helping out where ever she could. Her servant heart and attitude was a blessing and I will always appreciate her willingness to give of her time despite not feeling well. That day, she showed me Jesus in the flesh 'making herself nothing' in order that others might be blessed and encouraged. She didn't attend any of the seminars or workshops and while I was surprised, I realized later that it was her way of 'protecting her heart' from the suffering of these girls who were sexually exploited.

Well as God would have it, my colleague Brian McConaghy from The Ratanak Foundation was speaking at her church the next day. I was waiting there for her as I had asked her to keep all the conference monies and give it to me on Sunday at her church. Little did I know she was battling the Lord that very morning. In her own words: 'Lord I don't want to go to church this morning, I don't want to hear Brian McConaghy speak, I don't want to hear about Cambodia or child sex trafficking, I want to go to Peoples' church instead.' The response from God was 'GK, it is not for you to decide what you want to hear or not hear or where you want to go.' And so like a reluctant Jonah, she came to her church that morning partly because she had promised to handover the funds from the conference. So she went in to the service and as she listend to Brian, her heart began to warm towards what He was saying. She enjoyed the way he communicated and then with a loud 'bang' the Holy Spirit came over her as Brian began to talk about Nhu and Sung. GK began to cry uncontrollably and shake. God had finally broken down whatever walls she had put up and within minutes she found herself saying to the Lord 'God if you want me to go to Cambodia, I will go.' Now you have to understand, this is a person who doesn't cry easily. In fact she is fairly calm and is not easily rattled but that day, she had a divine encounter that completely transformed her heart and mind. When she told me what had happened, I just laughed because this is the same person I had asked a few months back 'oh you should come with me to Cambodia and she quickly responded with a resounding 'no.' Now, she has done a 180 degree turn and I praise God, not because she is interested in coming to Cambodia but more than that. He has opened her heart to the things that are on His heart and He is beginning to move her from living 'safely' to living 'courageously' for Him. I can't wait to see what vision He lays on her heart for the nation of Cambodia and I count it a privilege to just see all of this happening.

All this to say, on this thanksgiving day, I am thankful to God for these precious friends that He has given me and for this 'little sister' whose servant heart and generosity reflects the very love of God who simply wants to bless us, lift us up and enable us to be all who He intended us to be.

2 comments:

Sita said...

How encouraging to read this. It was hard to hear you on Sunday talk about the drugging of the girls. On the other hand, how triumphant it was to hear on the news last night that one perpetrator had been exposed. I'll just seek the Lord as to how He wants me involved. Have a refreshing Sabbath, sister!

julia said...

That's amazing, Lisa! :) I am so glad to hear that!