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| River-font Treasure Hunt |
This evening, while in Cambodia, we did a Treasure Hunt. Now, I love the IDEA of a treasure hunt and even have Kevin Dedmond's book which broke the church through into new levels of evangelism, have purchased the book for other people, taught my children, but the practicality of treasure hunting, especially with people I do not know well, is well beyond my comfort zone. I was somewhat dreading the evening, feeling a spiritual melancholy as I was out of my normal mode with the humidity and heat and fighting insecurity knocking at the door of vulnerability with more seasoned "Treasure Hunters" around me. :-)
A spiritual treasure hunt is where you ask God to give you a list of clues that are on His heart and then with those clues in hand you look for His Treasure - being a person who inhabits some or all of your clues! The list can be as simple as purple ball, turn right, go to Walmart, toy isle, yellow shirt, etc. When you hear God's download to your heart you write these clues down and then begin your hunt - somewhat like a scavenger or treasure hunt.
After sitting for a few minutes with God, my list consisted of something like this:
- Little girl in red dress
- Dog
- Smile
- Mary
- Hurt finger
- Boat in background
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| Example Tuk Tuk |
As we walked along the river front, I was on the look out for a dog and a red dress. Suddenly, a tuk tuk stopped beside us full of children who were taking a ride in a relatives tuk tuk. Out of the tuk tuk bound a little girl in a red dress, smiling at me and greeting me and a dog was running around the grassy area - I couldn't believe my eyes (oh me of little faith)! Three items on my list! Yay!! I followed the little girl to her family sitting along the river front and tried to explain with limited interpretation of the word "Treasure"
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| Treasure Hunting |
from our interpreter, what I was doing and explained to them my list of clues and that their little girl I believed was my treasure. I don't think they really understood. I then asked if anyone's name was Mary and I was unclear on the response. I then asked if anyone had a hurt finger and the little girl in the red dress - her mother's finger was hurt and numb (score!) so I prayed for her finger then I asked if I could pray for the red dress girl. I prayed protection over her life, etc. (can't remember all I prayed now), then I prayed over the family and then found an older lady pushing a cart of cold drinks and bought all the kids cold drinks. They laughed, smiled, ran around and waved goodbye! Treasure hunts like that, build my faith that God really is speaking to us, even though it sounds so mundane and natural. We had more visits/encounters that evening that were special but that was my personal hunt. I still can see the smiling face of my little girl in the red dress ~ my treasure ~ God's treasure!
