Reflecting on 2020
My Focus Word for the Year
On January 5, the first Sunday of 2020, I asked God what would be my focus word for this year.
God answered with the word, “Sow."
He led me to study 2 Corinthians 9:6 that says, “The point is this - the person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.”
Then He led me deeper still to the realization that sowing bountifully is not just scattering seeds.
He was instructing me to sow generously and to sow with a spirit of blessing.
I asked God to bless the ministry of Brilla♡Life in 2020. I purposed to sow bountifully, so that a great harvest of souls would come to know salvation in Jesus.
Early 2020
In January and February, we distributed Samaritan Purse Christmas boxes, held kids Bible clubs, weekly youth Bible studies, and started English and ballet classes at the Brilla♡Life Ministry Center. We were sowing. The year was off to a great start.
Then Covid-19 hit our part of the world and I found myself, like most of you, sheltering at home, venturing out only for food and essentials. A cloud of fear and uncertainty hung over us. I began to doubt if I heard God correctly. How in the world could I sow gospel seeds in a spirit of blessing confined to my home??
In March, our city shut down and many people found themselves out of work and falling on hard times. God sent us resources through your financial gifts so we were able to provide families with food. We made numerous trips to the grocery store, filled orange tote bags with food, and gave food away to families in need. Doors were opened to us and God gave us multiple opportunities to pray with families, offering them hope, and putting food on their tables.
Rosa’s family is just one of over 124 families that you helped. Her husband drives a city bus. When the mayor asked everyone to shelter at home, the bus routes stopped and the mechanic shop where he worked was closed as well. Because you gave, Rosa’s family and many other families had food to feed their children. Your gift served as a tangible reminder that God is present in times of trouble. God is love. He cares for us. He provides for our needs. We are not alone.
During springtime, I continued to pray for the harvest.
I prayed for receptivity to the gospel and for God to show us creative ways to sow as we learn how to adapt to the "new normal.”
Time to Learn, Time to Pray
God taught us how to use our time wisely.
Along with planting a vegetable garden this year, I planted sunflowers in my backyard. Each tiny seed grew into tall, strong plants, with flowers larger than dinner plates, and holding hundreds of seeds packed in the center. To my surprise, God used my sunflower garden to teach me about sowing and harvesting.
We spent more time in personal Bible study and prayer, and sharpened other skills. We planted a garden. We practiced guitar. We learned how to use technology to stay connected with our team and encourage new believers through Zoom. We taught classes online, and also received valuable teaching from pastors and mentors.
The spring and summer seemed to pass so slowly. In the waiting, God prompted me to pray more. I found myself praying longer and with more intensity; interceding for the sick by name and praying for protection and provision for our families and our support team. As the year went on, my prayer list grew.
So many of us suffered loss this year. Loss of dreams, jobs, health, and loved ones. On several occasions God woke me up in the middle of the night to intercede for someone by name, and I found myself praying… mentally going through my prayer list…(Mary, Gary, Lillian, Brandon, Carey, Cindy, Frank…) until I drifted off once again to sleep.
Sometimes small beginnings, can make a big impact.
God showed me that sometimes small makes a larger, eternal impact.
Instead of hosting a big Brilla Adventure camp like the previous summer, we started Brilla clubs with smaller groups of children, using a team of new believers to train as teachers. We invested in an infrared thermometer, wore face masks, slathered on hand gel, and ventured out to the villages and small communities to teach Bible stories. For many of the children, it was their very first time to hear the stories of the Bible! Through storytelling, crafts, and activities, the children learned about Adam, Eve, Moses, Abraham, King David, Samuel, Ruth, Zacchaeus and other characters in the Bible. Every story connected to Jesus. So naturally, when the gospel was presented, people responded.
In a span of two weeks during the fall, we witnessed 18 people place their faith in Christ!
Yes! Sowing in the spirit of blessing yields fruit!
My backyard sunflower garden served as a visual reminder from God that every single seed holds great potential! Potential for growing and blooming and producing hundreds more!
May each life who placed their faith in Jesus this year grow in knowledge and grace, filled by the Holy Spirit of the Living God! May this be the start of an incredible spiritual awakening in San Miguel de Allende as one-by-one, lives are surrendered to God and families are transformed.
I choose to remember 2020 not as the year of fear, and Covid-crazy, and loss.
I choose to remember 2020 as the year God taught me the secret of sowing in the spirit of blessing.
Will you join me in 2021? Let us work together, sowing gospel seeds, caring for tender souls, and developing leaders that will love, serve, and live out God’s purpose for their lives.