Word Made Flesh

The four of us sat at our dining room table talking about life over a dinner of salsa chicken and salad. I remember so much of our conversation from that evening. These friends are so dear to us. Because of their work as overseas missionaries, our time with them is limited, so when we are able to be together, every minute counts.  They are the kind of people that when they talk, you listen. Each conversation is filled with wisdom and humility. And, they are fun to be with, too.  Our time with them is spent intentionally.

When I think of them, intentional is the word that most often comes to mind. They have learned to lean heavily on the Spirit and make the most of simple things like making eye contact with a stranger, having coffee with a new friend, or chatting on the bus with a seat mate. Every opportunity is a chance to forge relationships, have conversation, build community and love others. They live with purpose and because of that the people they serve have become their dearest friends.

A few weeks ago I posted two summer reading suggestions, When Helping Hurts and Friendships at the Margins. 

While reading Friendship at the Margins by Christopher L. Heuertz and Christine D. Pohl (a book that has turned me upside down in places) I discovered Word Made Flesh. Word Made Flesh is an organization that, in the words of their mission statement... 

"is called and committed to serving Jesus 

among the poorest of the poor. This calling is realized 

as a prophetic ministry for, and a holistic, incarnational  

ministry among, the world’s poor. We are called by 

Jesus Christ to birth communities which practice 

the presence and proclamation of the Kingdom of God 

among the poorest of the poor. We exist that 

Jesus, the Living Word, be made flesh among the poor.”

This organization has me completely intrigued and in many ways, reminded me of what our missionary friends do. There are major differences, our friends do not serve the physically poor like WMF does, but the life they are living to build a Christ centered community with the spiritually poor is similar.

As I've been reading and learning about Word Made Flesh, I have come to see how closely what they do resembles what Jesus did. It's about love.

Pure and simple. 

Intentional. 

Hard. 

Sacrificial. 

Real. 

Messy. 

Life giving. 

Love.

There have been many fantastic organizations I've learned about this year, but the passion and purpose I see in this one has moved me deeply in ways I can't even really explain yet. In fact, this post has been hard to write, because I just don't feel like my words can do justice to the work I see God doing through the staff at WMF. So, when you have a chance, please check out this article and video by one of the founders, Christopher Heuertz. I truly believe you will be moved by what you see and learn.

 

If you are intersted in becoming involved with the work that Word Made Flesh does around the world, here are some available opportunities:

WMF offers both short term and long term opportunities to live in community with the poor.

You can be a part of a servant team or a discovery team.

Take a moment to subscribe to WMF's newsletter The Cry and learn how you can pray for their communities in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, India, Moldova, Nepal, Peru, Romania, Sierra Leone, Thailand and Canada.

Word Made Flesh is "funded by thousands of small gifts that come together to do something beautiful for God." Making even a small financial donation can go a long way.