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Responding to Tugs at My Heart
by Lily (age 16), Asia
19 May 2008
My story begins in my home town in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. During my first year of secondary school, my parents made one of the biggest and possibly craziest decisions of their lives: they decided to move to Asia. We would live in a large and bleak city and would put all our effort into loving some of the millions of “X-people,” a minority ethnic group. I laugh now as I think back on that unforgettable year and a half of transition. After living in America all my life, moving to another continent was not what I called a high point. Thankfully, God knew what he was doing, and he prepared my heart for the big move in January 2007. Opening My HeartLiving in this city turned out to be insanely fun and full of adventures. I loved everything about my new home, and I made many new American friends. But my heart was hard when it came to caring about the local people. My sinful human nature would not allow me to care about the hurting people all around me. Then, in the second week of April, God sent me a miracle—a miracle that would help me to see how stubborn I had been and what I could do for my neighbors. A cute tan-skinned little boy with brown eyes and musty hair smiled up at me—how could I resist? I should have said no. I thank God that I did not. Walking up the apartment stairs, I was so scared about what my parents would say. Bringing the little boy home was eccentric. I didn’t even know his name. But when the Holy Spirit tugs at your heart, it’s just right. When we got to the apartment, my mom and dad were not angry but very enthusiastic about our new friend. Such joy I felt, seeing how thankful the little boy was for our love and the food we gave him. It was then, that day, that I knew God really did have a place and a plan for me here. A Great VisionMy “little brother Abdullah” continues to visit us and has introduced us to his family. We are learning to speak with him in the local languages, even as he learns a few English words. He calls me Lao Jie Jie (old big sister) and my younger sister he calls Xiao Jie Jie (small big sister). He is part of a vision that only time can unravel. I believe that this generation of “X-people” will grow to be the leaders of the next generation, and if my family and others working alongside us can bring them to Christ and disciple them, then those young adults could be leading the church in this place. “Abdullah” is part of that generation; he could be one of those leaders. What a dream we hold! All we can do is continue to reach out with compassion, pray, and let God bring the results. 
 
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