What Faith Can Do
A reflection from Janina, a dear friend, on-site missionary, and Love Does school team member at Ciudad de Dios.
What faith can do
I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand-new
That's what faith can do
What faith can do.
It’s so easy to talk about big words and lofty ideas, as Christians we’ve become so comfortable about talking about faith. But what about living in faith? Seeing that faith that moves mountains? This week, we’ve seen what faith can do.
A cloudy May day down in Tijuana as hundreds of people started gathering around a concrete soccer field, filling up the chairs and tables, and climbing up the bleachers.
Dozens of kids are lining up on the soccer field, wearing black shirts and bright blue vests, reflecting the color of the big schoolhouses behind them. A group of young kids are gathering in official uniforms around a big Mexican flag, while several other countries' flags are represented on the wall.
The air is buzzing with excitement and anticipation. It’s the big opening of an elementary and middle school at Mexico's largest refugee camp. 190 students, ages 6 to 16 get to receive character-based education while they’re waiting for the next step in their migration process. Many of them have been away from home for months, and some of them have been on the road for years, fleeing the safety of their homes because of violence. Many of them have never even been to a classroom yet.
Seeing them line up in orderly lines, proudly presenting the flags of their countries and worshipping God in unity, my eyes start welling up with tears. For the next half an hour as I get to watch these kids, I feel a deep awe inside of me and I almost audibly hear the words in my head: that’s what faith can do.
All of this started with a dream, a crazy vision of our pastor that our refugee kids can have access to education during the months and sometimes years that they stay at the shelter.
I remember when I came for the first time, the hill was covered in weeds and trash. There was no school, no buildings, no foundation, just a vision of a faith-filled man. From one faith-filled man, another caught the vision and two of them started dreaming together. Soon after, faith was put into action. Land was bought, a foundation was laid, and more people caught on. One by one, they started carrying cement blocks up the hills, plastic buckets filled with sand got passed in a human chain all the way up the hill. Over the weeks and months, what once was a dream started taking shape. Like-minded people from near and far gathered together and started participating in this enormous project. It reminds me of Exodus 35 where the people of Israel gathered up to bring their offerings and skills together to build a dwelling place for God.
Just as children from all nations will be going to school in that unique school, fathers and mothers from many nations have come together to build it.
It’s a dream come true, a dream born in God’s heart, carried in Pastor’s heart, and from there in the hearts of many people.
As we gathered up to cut the ribbon, not only were we surrounded by kids from over eight nations, but we all gathered together from various nations ourselves, from different churches and organizations, all walks of life, the color of skin, and tongues. Refugees, locals, government, nonprofit organizations, and churches are all united by one thing: a deep love for Jesus and His love for His kids.
And the words keep on echoing in my mind: that’s what faith can do.
God is not looking for flashy titles or the most educated people. God is looking for the ones willing to spend time with Him, willing to receive His heart and His dreams and run with them. Not because we’re big, not because we’re perfect, just because we love Him.
