In the Lord's Army

It never fails to surprise and amaze me to discover what is going on in the mind of my almost-four-year-old Martha!  Something came up yesterday about "The Lord's Army."  She picked right up on that thought and sitting at the kitchen table informed me that she "was in the Lord's Army, because I have Jesus in my heart!"  Oh, that we grown-ups would embrace those simple truths with that much joy and confidence!  How many times has Jesus told us in His word about the value and wisdom of little children, and the importance of becoming as a little child to enter into His kingdom!  Martha went on to give me a list of people that were in the Lord's Army, and one that was not.  On her list of "Ins" was Mommy, Daddy, Abuelo, Abuela, and herself.....on her list of "Nots"?  Her brother Ian!  What a joy it is to be able to teach her and encourage her to pray that her brother would also be saved and be a part of the Lord's Army!
As I was thinking about that this morning, the Lord gently nudged me to use that conversation to introduce you to two of the newest members of the Lord's Army!  With great joy and excitement I would like to tell you first about Rosa.  Rosa is the lady in the middle of this picture.  Rosa has been coming to church for quite some time now.  Her husband, Raul, had been saved when he was younger.  He was baptized in November.  We weren't sure if Rosa was saved, and there never seemed to be an open door to talk to her about her salvation.  We just kept praying for her, and showing her God's love.  Two Sundays ago, I was teaching the children's class (we now have 4 hearing children in our church!), and when I came back into our Deaf service, Matt asked me if I would witness to Rosa!  With joy I said yes!  I took her and Irene (another of our Deaf ladies) into another classroom, and shared the Gospel with Rosa.  After explaining God's plan of salvation, and emphasizing all that Jesus had suffered on the Cross to pay for our sins (The Lord led me to really explain that in great detail.), Rosa decided to ask Jesus into her heart.  With tears streaming down both our faces, Rosa prayed and asked Jesus to save her!  What a beautiful and precious moment - especially to our Saviour!  Lord willing, Rosa will be getting baptized this Sunday.  How wonderful it is to see a whole family saved!  Now Raul and Rosa can raise their daughter Celeste and the new baby that they are expecting in the ways of the Lord!  Isn't it wonderful to think of all the blessings that God has in store for them as they follow Him?
Elida, a Hearing young lady, came to church this past Sunday with her Deaf boyfriend and his family.  She is learning signs.  We had a birthday celebration for one of the other Deaf ladies, and as I sat across the room from Elida, I noticed how sad she seemed.  I went over to talk to her, and the Lord impressed on my heart to ask her about her salvation.  Now, I am not a bold person, but I have been praying for boldness when it comes to witnessing.  Well, let me tell you - when you start asking the Lord for something like that He is going to answer!  He gave me a boldness that I know only came from Him!  I was able to witness to her.  We waded through a lot of her thoughts and ideas and philosophies about how to get to Heaven.  We looked at each of those in the light of God's Word.  I kindly and tearfully told her that Jesus is the only way to Heaven - it's not our goodness, our ideas, or anything we can do.  I shared with her how the Lord spoke to my heart about talking to her about her salvation and that I wanted to see her in Heaven someday.  We both cried, and the best she knew how, she prayed and asked the Lord to save her!  How precious to know that while I may never see her again here on earth (She lives in Nazca - south of here), I have the joy and anticipation of seeing her one day in Heaven!
I think about the joy we feel here on Earth when a person gets saved...we talk about the joy in Heaven when a person receives Christ as Saviour...but we can't even begin to imagine the overflowing joy and happiness that our Lord must feel when He sees another soul accept His free gift of salvation that He paid for on the Cross!  Praise the Lord for the always open invitation to join the Lord's Army - no matter who you are, where you've been, or what you are doing with your life!  If you haven't joined the Lord's Army, won't you do that today?