Testimony By Maryann Salib

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Tim 1:7
I have only been here in Tlayacapan, Mexico for a short amount of time, and but I have already seen God working powerfully in the mission here. This verse, from this morning’s quiet time sums up my experience here thus far. I arrived knowing the first part of the verse- the spirit of fear. Fear for many reasons... not knowing exactly what I would be doing on this mission, fear that I wouldn’t be helpful, and most of all, fear that my spanish wouldn’t be sufficient. Until this trip, I had never been able to confidently carry a conversation in spanish with a native speaker, largely due to fear of messing up. Knowing that I was only one of two people on the mission, aside from Abouna, who had studied the language, I knew there was no way I could avoid it. God was calling me to get out of the boat, to step out in faith, and let Him carry me on the water. God wasted no time. The first day, after liturgy, we went out for my first “preaching”. We divided up into groups, and went around the neighborhood, speaking with people and inviting them to the church for the medical clinic and activities we were having the next day. Being Pentecost, I prayed that God would reveal to me the power of His spirit, and maybe also the gift of speaking in tongues, or at least in Spanish, while He’s at it. And He did. Granted, conversations weren’t perfect, but by His grace, we received prayer requests, introduced people to the church and saw God’s work and His heart for His children in this place. When we returned however, I felt that though things went well, it wasn’t an experience filled with mighty rushing wind, or fire. But just in case, I thought that I had spoken on my own, the next day, I could barely hold a two minute conversation with some of our Mexican friends. His Spirit does not always come in the form of a mighty rushing wind, but it comes, when requested, and it never fails. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:13 But it’s not just a spirit of power, but a spirit of love. Here in mission in Mexico, I have seen the power of love to share the gospel. Love, not just human wisdom and knowledge has built this church, and made it into a strong, and very blessed church. I think about how often in the States, we complain when things in the church are not translated from Arabic to English, and I’m humbled as the Mexican people love and embrace the church as it’s taking form and as the hymns are being translated accurately into Spanish. Here in Mexico, I have seen our heavenly Father’s desire to pour out His Spirit of power and love on us, so that we may be equipped to serve Him. We need to ask, but also be willing to step out of the boat, to let go of whatever fears may be holding us back, and trust Him. Like St. Peter, we don’t know what’ll happen when we get out of our boats, whatever it is that makes us comfortable, but we know that Christ is out there on the waves, and as long as our eyes are on Him, we know He’s going to do something great!