Ye took me in

19 April 2011, 8:15 pm by Giggles

walking through a field of soy in Brasil

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. …
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Matthew 25:35-36, 40

Being a missionary in Brasil was an interesting experience for me. But one thing that constantly amazed me was how often people took me in. They took me into their homes. They took me into their circle of friends. They took me into their families. It was such an honor to be welcomed the way I was, hands and hearts open.

The fourth house I lived in had a leaky roof, a bad leaky roof. It rained in our kitchen. It rained so bad we moved our fridge and stove into our front room. The landlord was dragging her sweet feet fixing it. And it was the rainy season, raining so much we started to joke about building arks.

One Sunday afternoon, after church, the men in the ward I was serving in came over, in the rain, and climbed up into and onto our roof and fixed the broken tiles in our roof. They were like little kids up there, having so much fun. They actually seemed disappointed that it happened so fast and our roof wasn’t in worse shape.

And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
Matthew 12:11-12

That they would care that much for us and take us in, meant so much to me. The great King will surely tell them that what they did unto us, they did unto Him. And they did it so freely and with so much pure love and joy.

The memory of that day still warms my heart.