Fighting Terrorism - One Hug at a Time

We had a missions training weekend camp here a few weeks ago.  God brought some amazing Brazilian young people and youth who are really hungry for more of God in their lives, and we got to really encourage them in their dreaming with God.  It was a wonderful time of worshipping together and sharing our experiences and dreams and passion for adventuring with God.  I got to teach on hearing the voice of God, and we did some games to practice and stir up the gifts of God in each of us.  Then we took the bus to the beach for a treasure hunt :)

I decide to take a little notepad of paintings with me, in case I felt to give some art away.  Our enthusiastic friend Alyson, was talking with a young man for a long time, trying to excite him for a different life, with a God of love and joy.  While I watched them talking from a distance, I felt to give him a picture and took it to him and shared a word of encouragement with him, and smiled and blessed him and gave him a hug, and while I was talking with him noticed the tattoos on his arm:  the twin towers and a portrait of Osama Bin Ladin.   He seemed so touched by my simple gesture of blessing him, and his countenance seemed so surprised, and really affected.  It wasn't until the next day that I realized why he had been so surprised, and that he had tried to apologize for his tattoos.  I am clearly American.  And his arm clearly stated that he at some point in his life thought it was cool to hate Americans.  Little did he know, it was my greatest pleasure, and the most fun I had all day.  My favorite people to love, are those who aren't expecting it!  Because I think that is how Jesus loves, part of what is so good about his love, is that its so unreasonable and unexpected.