3rd Encounter

3rd. Encounter

An entire week passed till the next time I saw him. It was night again. I was out on the deck and apparently I got really serious. One of team asked if I was alright, and I responded that I was praying for that guy. It was funny because I had just thought of him a few minutes before he showed up (funny or the Holy Spirit?). In any case, I went in our room to pray for him, but it was tough with so many people around. They were setting up our room for a movie night of all the footage that had been shot on trip and all the pictures. There were snacks and such and was supposed to be a fun time. I wasn't in the mood for that at all. I moved out to the deck and looked and prayed. Why was I so bothered by him? Why do I feel like I'm the only one who is bothered by this guy. Perhaps even one was caring about him, but I just never asked. Thankfully, one of the Peruvian students came up and asked what was bothering me. We started discussing it, and we're eventually called into the room to get started with the festivities. Before it got going, through my heretical spanish and her broken english, we walked through probably my favorite passage in the bible.

Mark 4:35-4:41
This isn't the story, but its the background. Jesus decides to go across the sea of galilee. He falls asleep. I think he doesn't consider the passage all that important. But then storm of the century hits, the disciples flip out and the boats about to float its last. Somebody wakes up Jesus (probably a good idea), He gets up, rebukes the wind and waves, storm stops. I was trying to read out of the spanish bible, but I know my pronounciation was horid, but she seemed to be following by reading. There's something special about going half way around the world, and even though your brother or sister there might speak a different language, they are still your brother and sister, we all got the same dad.

But that story is only background. The real focus is on another crazy guy. Mark 5. Jesus and the disciples get to the other side and get out of the boat. Immediatly, CRAZY GUY. This man had been driven from his town into the hills. He was demon possessed and lived, day and night screaming and hitting himself with rocks. No one could handle him. Except Jesus. The guy outside and this guy were similar. No one deals with him, all he does is scream and run around always carrying that plastic bottle with the dark contents. Yet, I know Jesus can. The demon possesed man ran to Jesus and begged for help. The demon inside him also asked for mercy from Him. For some reason, Jesus had mercy on demons. I don't know why, or what this shows, but he still made them leave the man and go into a herd of pigs. They obeyed him and the pigs were destroyed. The man was healed, he was given clothes and was restored. How cool is that! But there's even more. The people who owned the pigs flip out too and ask Jesus to leave. And He does. The former demon possessed guy asks to go with Him, but Jesus asks him to share what God did for him. Now, look at this guy. No one could handle him. He was essentially a complete lost cause. No one cared except to get him away from them. He was alone, and beyond that, continually tortured by the demons inside him. I can't think of a more pittyable soul. But here is how great Jesus love was.

First, He gets in a boat. Remember the background. They cross in possilby the worse time when this storm came up. Jesus knew this would happen, but so be it, he came for this guy. He shows up, he meets the guy no one else could. He heals him and heals him completly. Heck, he's even marginally mericful to the demons. Then, when people ask him to leave, he does. Back in the boat. An entire journey for one guy. Jesus might have been there an hour, tops. Just for this one guy. No one thought he was worth anything, yet Jesus came across a lake and storm, and just as quickly left. No one could love him, yet He did, and what a way. How great the father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure.

That's what I was trying to get across, but I don't think it came out quite like that in spanish. But the point was made. This guy outside, you, me, Jesus has come for us all. He has come just for you. Run to Him! Accept His complete healing! His love is great and powerful, and so far reaching. For the guy outside, I knew Jesus had come for him. Jesus was the only answer. I didn't think he was possessed, but God still has power over all things. I think Jesus wants us to follow him and seek out the lost, the ones that have no hope and are utterly alone. Although, to be completly honest, I think I needed to know that if I was in the crazy guys situation, someone would care enough to cross a lake and heal me, or at least help me.

I was probably making about as little sense as I am now, but she offered to pray and we did. Then the movie started. A few mins after, his raised voice moved somewhere else.