Is This Hope Enough?

   I watched hope change hearts, I watched as hope was the only thing people had to cling to. It made me ask myself was hope alone enough? If we put our hope in the things of this world, the answer is no. That kind of hope will never satisfy. That kind of hope will never sustain. But the hope of the Lord, now that is something to cling to. That is a hope that will not put us to shame, that is a hope that changes lives.

During this past month, my squad got to work with an organization called Mission of Hope in the Dominican Republic. Our week looked the same for the three weeks we were there. 

Monday: teaching English at a Haitian school then evangelism, 

Tuesday-Thursday: evangelism in the local community (we got to work with two Haitian communities and one Dominican), 

Friday: adventure day

Saturday: sabbath

Sunday: church and English class. 

   It was very evident in the Haitian community that hope was something that people were desperately clinging to. Hope for a better life, hope to start over in the Dominican Republic, and a hope for more. We had the opportunity  to partner with Mission of Hope (MOH) and bring them the hope that only Christ gives.  

  God gave us the opportunity to be the ones who brought the Good News into those communities with MOH. Don’t get me wrong, evangelism is not for the faint of heart. There were days that I was completely drained in every area. There were moments that were hard and hurtful. But through it all God continued to remind me that He had given me a boldness to share the Gospel and love people well. He reminded me quite often that if people heard anything from me, to make sure it was the Gospel. My only goal was to love these people enough to care for their eternal souls, that if this was the last conversation they ever had, at least they would have heard the Gospel. This is also something that MOH continually reminded us. That didn’t mean that everyone accepted Christ but when some did we were overwhelmed with joy because someone who was lost had been found. A person once bound for hell was now able to be with God in heaven. That should be something that pumps us up to share the Gospel. Our love for people should drive us to care about where their souls are going.

   I had many people tell me that they believed in Jesus but they weren’t ready to be saved just yet but one day hopefully they would be ready. They wanted to continue living the life they wanted. I would ask if they were satisfied in these things and most of the time they would say no but it made them “happy.” Isn’t that how the world operates though? (I know I’ve been there before). We don’t want to be fully devoted to Christ because we want to continue to live in the things that aren’t of God but make us “happy.” Then we wonder why we feel dissatisfied and unfulfilled. Thinking on those feelings makes me ask myself, am I waiting on heaven or is it waiting on me? Every time that question arises, I’m reminded that only God can change hearts. I was called to simply share the Gospel but only God can change hearts. 

   This month made me realize that God has given me a boldness for sharing His word and it’s only the beginning of that boldness. He says if we ask He will give it to us ten fold. So I’ve been praying for more boldness. The kind of boldness that makes me share the Gospel with anyone He tells me to. But that boldness doesn’t just last on a mission trip. We can have that kind of boldness in our homes, our jobs, and in every aspect of our lives. The Word tells us if we ask, we shall receive. So ask with confidence knowing our God has good gifts for His children. 

  This month had its challenges and its joys. One of the greatest blessings was getting to work with our translators through Mission of Hope. These men boldly share the Gospel and love people in these communities so well. It’s so evident that they lean on the Word of God above all things. Their friendship was such a blessing and it was so amazing to see how they carry the love of Christ. Below is a picture of us on our last day:

Updates:

• We are headed to Panama next! 
• My squad is headed into its first month of ATL! ATL is Ask the Lord, which means we won’t have ministry contacts in Panama. Instead we will be asking the Lord where He wants us to go and see what ministry He wants us to connect with. Please be in prayer for us as we completely depend on the Lord to provide for everything this next month. 
• If you would like to donate to help support me personally as I’m on the field, you can Venmo me @Emma-Cato or PayPal at Emma Cato. Thank you so much for your continued support!