From Heather Goertzen, Sept. 14, 2008.
I heard him say, “Come to me.
My burden is light
and gives way to clarity.”
-Caitlyn Turner (& Jesus)
(http://www.hopefoundation.org.au)
She’s a beautiful Aussie chic, who’s about the work of freedom, of love, of the kingdom. She’s one of many I spent last week with at an international conference for Christians involved in works with women in prostitution around the world. Never have I been more proud of the presence of the Church in the world today, more certain that Jesus was proud of his little Christs, and more sure of the truth and power of the gospel to change lives.
It’s true, people. It’s just true.
I wept. A lot. In worship, in testimony, in prayer. I wept for the renewed conviction that I knew there, for the depth of calling I was reminded into, and for the weight of what that means for our lives.
Wednesday night, Mariliana, a Chilean woman at work in Costa Rica performed a prophetic dance of bondage and freedom. We were invited to come forward to dance with the flags of our countries, and in so doing proclaim their freedom, the freedom of our women there. So I went forward, found the Bolivian flag and attempted to grab it from the vase where it was displayed with another flag. Stuck. I pulled and twisted at the wooden sticks, tried to yank it out, loosen it from the tension which held it there. Others were dancing, waving. I was struggling to loosen this stupid flag. And getting angry. I moved back toward my seat and sat down. Worked on it a while. I eventually slid over a couple seats and handed it to Sill, a man who works with other men in Chicago. He is big and strong, so I surrendered the vase to him and asked for help. It took a while. He also twisted and pulled. All the while I got frustrated. Bolivia too would be free. My girls would know freedom. Eventually he freed it and handed it to me and I got up again and waved and twirled and danced.
FREEDOM. It took a while.