God is Near to the Brokenhearted
Blog post written by Jenni Ramsey, McKinney, TX
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” - Psalm 34:18
This final blog post is being written on the tropical Pacific shores of El Salvador, where our team members are enjoying the splendor of God’s creation along with our dear missionary partners that have served by our side over the last two weeks. His Hands His Feet is committed to missionary care so these beach days with our missionaries and their families are a strategic time to connect with and affirm one another, pray for each other and enjoy a much needed day of rest. As I reflect on the last two weeks and all that the Lord has done among our fifty-six team members, the verse that comes to mind is Psalm 34:18, which is posted above. He is truly NEAR to the BROKENHEARTED. I have sensed His nearness among those that we have ministered to and among our team members as we have served in many broken places.
His nearness was visible in low income communities, where resources are limited by joy is undeniable. Our teams felt His nearness in orphanages, where no child should be raised. Every child deserves to grow up in a loving, permanent family. Yet God is present among orphans. He is healing. He is bringing hope through His people and specifically the incredible work of our missionary partners, Sus Hijos. We felt His nearness night after night as we piled into the back of the blue Sus Hijos pick up truck, bringing hope and relief to men, women and children living on the streets of San Salvador through dinners lovingly packed into brown, paper sack bags. He was near as we saw families cry tears of joy upon entering into their brand new, forever homes. Being His hands and His feet in this way, helping to see these precious families’ dreams come true was truly indescribable. His nearness was undeniably real as we heard the moving testimonies of our missionary partners, who have struggled intensely, but have experienced God’s redemptive healing in their lives. I felt God’s presence as we helped some of our team members to work through deep, personal struggles and I personally wrestled with my own trials as well.
God made Himself near as the Crean Lutheran High School team traveled throughout the country, day after day, lugging bags, setting up dresses, shoes, nail polish and eyebrow waxing stations, bringing the powerful truth to the beautiful young women of El Salvador that they have been remembered, they are valued and they deserve the quinceanera of their dreams. As the young men and women were escorted into the breathtaking hotel venue on the night of the party with thunderous rounds of applause, I felt God’s nearness once again. He knows their names. He has not forgotten them. He is near.
Words can not describe how fulfilling it is to be part of such an incredible ministry. The mission of His Hands His Feet is to be the transforming, healing HANDS and FEET of Jesus to those that He calls us to serve through the sending of short-term teams in partnership with nationals and long-term missionaries. His Hands His Feet is passionate about developing and empowering missions minded believers through the sending of teams. I love, love, love being a part of this. Thank you to everyone who prayed, donated shoes, dresses, clothing, jewelry, make up, nail polish and finances. Thank you to family members who made sacrifices to send their loved ones. We are especially grateful for the parents who were willing to send their kids. I look forward to seeing how God continues to move powerfully among those that we served as well as the lives of our team members. Thank you for partnering with us as we continue to send teams to Central America, where Jesus is undeniably NEAR to the BROKENHEARTED.