The Power of Encouragment!
Right now I’m in Leon, Nicaragua with my son Jonathan. It’s been a year since I’ve been down here. It’s been 4 years since he’s been here. (Jonathan lived here for a year teaching at Promise Christian Academy from July 2013 - July 2014.). It’s been a reunion of sorts for us with the people with whom we have worked for the past eight years. In fact, our first night here they hosted a Nicaraguan dinner to welcome us! What an encouragement that was to us. What a welcome we received!
Our time here turns out to be very special, considering the difficulties the nation and the people have faced this year. In fact, Jonathan and I were supposed to come down in May, but due to situations here in the country, we were unable to come. Protests, roadblocks, and many other happenings have greatly affected the economy and people’s lives. Even the hotel that we had a reservation with and where we have stayed since 2011 was closed upon our arrival! (Thankfully, we found another hotel that had space for us.). And, I have found that although what we can do for the people physically may be limited—like distributing backpacks, school supplies, and uniforms to the children we have ministered to through Promise Kids Foundation—the one thing we can always do is bring encouragement. I am learning about the power of encouragement!
Our presence with the people whom we love and with whom we have worked so hard these past eight years has turned out to be a greater encouragement to them than I ever imagined. They have told us what it has meant to them to have received the phone calls and emails through their times of great difficulty. But now to have us here with them is so much more significant than I ever thought it would be. They are encouraged to know that there are people who think of them, pray for them, and want to be by their side. They are encouraged to know that our church has been praying for them. As we sit and talk and laugh and work together, they are encouraged to know that as God’s people we are one, and that when one part of the body suffers the whole body feels it! They have told me that they feel encouraged!
The Bible says, “...encourage one another and build each other up.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11); “...encourage one another as long as it is called, ‘Today’....” (Hebrews 3:13); and, “...encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” (1. Thessalonians 5:14). God tells us to encourage one another for he knows that there’s power in encouragement!
Is there someone who needs your encouragement today? Is there someone in your life who needs you to come by their side and speak an encouraging word? Let’s live our lives as people who know the power of encouragement! Have a great day. Vaya con Dios! Pastor Tim Harris
Our presence with the people whom we love and with whom we have worked so hard these past eight years has turned out to be a greater encouragement to them than I ever imagined. They have told us what it has meant to them to have received the phone calls and emails through their times of great difficulty. But now to have us here with them is so much more significant than I ever thought it would be. They are encouraged to know that there are people who think of them, pray for them, and want to be by their side. They are encouraged to know that our church has been praying for them. As we sit and talk and laugh and work together, they are encouraged to know that as God’s people we are one, and that when one part of the body suffers the whole body feels it! They have told me that they feel encouraged!
The Bible says, “...encourage one another and build each other up.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11); “...encourage one another as long as it is called, ‘Today’....” (Hebrews 3:13); and, “...encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” (1. Thessalonians 5:14). God tells us to encourage one another for he knows that there’s power in encouragement!
Is there someone who needs your encouragement today? Is there someone in your life who needs you to come by their side and speak an encouraging word? Let’s live our lives as people who know the power of encouragement! Have a great day. Vaya con Dios! Pastor Tim Harris
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