The Beginning of Change
How one word created hope in a hopeless situation.
It was a Saturday morning, and the team was preparing to go out for Love Your City Walkthroughs. Among them was Michael, one of the route leaders, who had shared in previous meetings that sometimes he felt the conversations with families became very formal or religious, and he couldn’t connect with people as he wanted.
That morning, before leaving, the team spent a few minutes praying together. They asked God not just for the right words, but for sensitive hearts to listen. Mónica and Javier reminded them of something simple yet profound: “We don’t need to talk about religion; we need to share the power of God that changes lives.”
As they walked through the neighborhood, Michael decided to put that into practice. Instead of starting the conversation with faith topics directly, he began by asking how the family was doing, what worried them, and what made them feel grateful that week. Gradually, the woman he spoke with opened her heart and shared that she felt tired and had lost hope that her situation would improve.
Michael listened attentively and, silently, prayed for God to give him the right words. He thought of his own story. Then he gently said: “Sometimes life is difficult, but I’ve seen how God can give strength when we feel we have no more. He doesn’t always remove the problems, but He sustains us through them.”
The woman smiled, and her eyes showed a different light. It wasn’t a religious conversation; it was a conversation with power, a conversation where God was present without the need to mention any doctrine.
At the end of Love Your City, Michael shared his experience with the group. He said he had felt something different: a new peace and a genuine connection with the people. The other leaders listened carefully and knew that the true purpose of their Walkthroughs was to show God through love, listening, and empathy. And He will use them to change the neighborhood. “We are still learning; we are not perfect, but we want to see more of God’s power.”