Life is good. God is faithful. His love is grand.
About a month ago I really started exploring Buenos Aires on my own. I try to go to a lot of places around the city in order to observe culture, to get to know the city, and for exercise. It's so much fun living in a big city! There is Always something new to discover.
However, it has also really opened my eyes to the poverty in the city. There are many little children sleeping on the streets, people using the bathroom on the street, and many other terrible things. One time, I was getting back from a wedding and saw a small child walking in the middle of the street trying to sell little candies or something at 3:00 AM.
This problem is terrible and really troubles me. As soon as I started seeing all of this poverty, I started praying. I asked God if there was anything I could do for these people, especially for the children.
After I started praying this prayer I got an idea that I really think is from the Holy Spirit. It's a really simple idea.
As earlier blogs have mentioned, the ice cream here is really good. So I have this idea that once a week I could buy some of the best ice cream and give it to a few homeless people. The specific target population to give it to is children.
Giving people ice cream will not solve their problems. However it does make their day, and makes them feel special. By giving them this ice cream, I want to show these people the love of Christ. That someone cares enough to buy them a special treat.
I told my friend Ashley about this idea and she immediately supported it. We started thinking of ideas of how we could do this. She thought that we could get really organized; buy an ice chest, ice cream scoop, and matching hats :). We are starting small, and are open to where God wants to take this.
So far we have handed out ice cream several times. Each time has been different and really good. Whenever we give people ice cream they smile really big and talk to us. It's SO MUCH FUN! One lady that we walked up to looked very upset. She was frustratingly talking to herself. After we gave her the ice cream she sat smiling and eating. I have no doubts that God's love is being shared through this simple act of kindness.
"...The most important commandment is this:"listen O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31
