Move in day. When I woke up this morning it still hadn't hit me. It wasn't until I was physically putting my bags in the car that I realized this was real. I arrived and met everyone. So down to Earth, so humble. I felt right, I felt like this was where I was supposed to be. Eating dinner with everyone was great. And returning to my new home was too. I still feel naive as to the dangers of this new community. In a way I feel safe but know it's a bit dangerous. I don't understand why I felt that way until I read the introduction of "Befriending the Stranger". Jesus wept and still weeps at our world; how we treat everyone, the injustice and the lack of love we show to one another, especially the most vulnerable who happen to be the people we are scared of the most. But it is in this "valley of Achor" that we find Jesus, and ultimately when we find Him we find God. Many question themselves and ask where they can find God and create a relationship with Him. The answer isn't far away. It is in the poorest of the poor, the people we drift away from and all our fears and pains that we will find His presence. For it is in the Valley of Achor where God is there with hope. We just have to overcome our human sentiments and take that step of faith into the darkness; for it is with faith that darkness becomes light. And it is in the light that we see God. I think that's why God wanted me to be here now. He knows all the pain and suffering I've been through and He wants to help me overcome it. I admit that it'll take quite the leap of faith but I trust in Him. I pray that He will use me as His instrument to lead others to Christ because He is leading me. If we follow in Jesus' footsteps into the Valley of Achor we will not only face our fears and pains but we will ultimately face God, where He is waiting for us with open arms.
*See Christ in ALL places*
Jenny Sample
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