The Work of the Holy Spirit

Last weekend our church had an outreach party/picnic in our neighborhood.  We're located in a lower income neighborhood that is home to a lot of immigrants, including many Hispanics.  We arrived at church that afternoon and the kids immediately wanted to jump on the inflatables, so we went over there.  I was watching Eden when I noticed a woman standing by herself watching a couple of other kids.  When she saw me looking at her she smiled, which I took as an invitation to walk on over and chat with her.  We introduced ourselves, but I quickly discovered that she spoke very little English, and of course I speak no Spanish.  We were struggling along when Z ran past.  I reached out and snagged him and said, "Z, this woman only speaks Spanish, so I can't really talk to her.  But can you tell her that she should stay and have some food and the kids can play as long as they want?"  Without missing a beat, he just started talking away in Spanish, gesturing towards the food and the bouncy toys.  She smiled and nodded, and then Z ran off again.

To put it mildly, I was thrilled!  And not primarily because Z can now act as my interpreter whenever I need him to, although that is fantastic.  Later that afternoon I told Z that the first gift the Holy Spirit ever gave to the Church was the gift of tongues.  That's how important God thinks it is that people hear about Jesus and get invited into his people in their own language.  And now Z is a part of that!  He is using his Spanish to welcome Spanish speakers into God's Church!

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I have had several remarkable conversations with Eden in the last few days.  On Sunday we were driving in the car when she initiated this conversation:

Eden:  Did God's Son really die?
Me:  Yes, he did.  You know God's Son is Jesus, right?
Eden: How did he die?
Me:  People killed him by nailing his arms and legs to a piece of wood.  The wood is called a cross, and that's why we say that Jesus died on the cross.
Eden:  Are you KIDDING me??
Me:  No, it's a true story.  Jesus died so that we wouldn't have to.  But what happened three days after he died?
Eden:  He came back alive again!
Me:  Yes, he came back alive again!  That's how we know that Jesus is so powerful, because he didn't stay dead.
Eden (very seriously):  I think I want to love him.

Then yesterday as she and I were taking a walk she said again spoke up out of the blue:

Eden:  Mama, I want to obey Jesus.  
Me:  That's so great, Eden!  We obey Jesus because we trust him and know he loves us  
Eden (after a few moments of thought): I'm glad I got baptized.
Me:  Me too!  Why are you glad?  
Eden:  Because I want to love Jesus.

Her baptism is the oddest mixture of both infant baptism and believer's baptism, which seems wonderfully right somehow.

And just today as we were driving to the zoo Eden again spoke up suddenly, saying, "Mama, when Jesus comes back he'll make our baby alive again.  That's why I love him."  It is almost impossible for me to say how happy I am that when Eden thinks of her twin brother or sister, she does so in the context of resurrection, and that at three years old she is able to articulate that that is the reason she loves Jesus -- because he brings life out of death.

"When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father -- the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me."  John 15:26