Burning Furnace of Charity

I just spent an amazing few days with some new friends from Tulsa who came to simply pray into the work Jesus is doing in Boys Town. They are the kind of people who REALLY pray and almost always seem to hear from God. You know the kind, the kind that always leave you secretly wondering, "how in the world do they hear from God like that?" It was truly amazing to hear them speak things they felt in prayer that were clear affirmations of many things I've felt for the last two years. It appears that Jesus is truly working something out here! :) Thank you Chris, Carla, Hannah, Nancy, and Jonathan for pouring out your time and life here!

One day we decided to visit BT so Jonathan could play his violin for the girls and guys. Probably the first time any Irish jigs had been performed on the violin in there, and it was a great time. It was so beautiful as he played and Nora, one of the "old-timers" in BT, told me again and again, "your friends are my friends, Kelly. Though I wish they spoke Spanish!" (Nora has a tough exterior sometimes, and can be quite cheeky when she wants to be.) Nora doesn't normally show much emotion, but as the music continued and we drank our coffee, Nora began to really open up to me. I was taken back by how much she was sharing, then the tears that began rolling down her cheeks. I felt a little uncomfortable because I wasn't understanding every word. I told her, "Nora, you know I don't understand every word you're telling me? I'm learning, but..." She simply said, "I know, Kelly. But you understand me." I'm so often blown away by the way the girls and guys in BT can put into words the feelings that I cannot. They are a beautiful people in those walls.

As we moved on from Nora's bar, we found Blanca and Liliana outside, trying desperately to earn some money to pay this week's rent. Liliana is a "tough cookie," to say the least. But with me, she's different. She just hugged me and kept telling me how much she loved me. (I'm always so astounded to know I've found friends in the walls of BT. Not only do I get to be a friend to them, but they are friends to me. I love this.) She took me by my face and told me words that ring in my ears every morning now: "Do you know how much I need you? Do you know how many of us in here need you?" Gulp. I was quick to tell her that I'm nothing special, it's all Jesus. I was eager to throw this back on Him, because I could feel the weight of her words. But it's true - there are so many in BT, and I think I've only scratched the surface. BT isn't very big, but I have really just made friends in one small section of BT. There are so many more stories to hear and lives to encounter. Jesus knows EVERY name in there, and He knows every story, and He loves every one of them so much. And He has invited me, us, into this dream with Him, the dream of sharing His love and life with the ones for whom He died and was raised to life.

Sometimes I foolishly think that I've sacrificed things to be here and live life with the men and women of BT. The real truth is, I've gained more than I ever dreamed of by being here. I've never felt so invited into a genuine relationship with Jesus as I do here. It has nothing to do with Mexico or BT, and everything to do with finding the people that Jesus is with - the poor, the lonely, the forgotten, the hurting, the desperate - all of whom might be living in your own house. Be with them, and you'll find Jesus there.