When I met Teresa, she was a single mother of six. She washed clothes to earn an income to feed her growing brood. The lack of money required the older children to quit school and find work on the streets. Every day was a struggle to survive. Never knowing where or when the next meal would come, Teresa was losing hope. 

But that all changed when she became curious about the sidewalk Sunday school her kids were attending in the heart of the city. She had begun to see changes in her children, and she soon saw changes in herself. Her daily struggles for survival continued, but she now had hope. She did not feel so alone. The Lord began to draw her closer and she began to dream of a better life for herself and her children. Her life–once full of uncertainty–became a life full of hope.

At every opportunity, Teresa volunteered to help. Her children were being blessed, and she felt blessed by helping the others. She recognized the needs of other children and families as ones with which she used to struggle. She yearned to give other children hope, the same hope that changed her own life and the lives of her children. 

Instead of worrying, she now prays. Today she experiences the freedom to dream. She is free to live; free to hope.

Many global workers have similar testimonies of those you have had the privilege to walk alongside. If you don’t, don’t worry. It’s coming. It is at times of discouragement and weakness that we need to remember what God has done. How many times throughout his life, while discouraged and hopeless, did King David remind himself of what God had done? As he recalled these precious moments, hope would rise up again. 

There are many like Teresa looking for the hope we have experienced in Christ. Don’t give up. Remind yourself of the testimonies of the past, of what God has done. Hope will rise again.