They Will Know Me By Your Love
Sometimes what people need the most is to simply have a place where they belong while they are working through what it is they believe. A place where conversation flows freely, inside jokes fill the room with laughter, the grace of God takes center stage, and relationships feel more like family than friends. For Roland, that place is with Til He Returns at their ministry center in Costa Rica, The Hope Project.
When Roland, a seasoned Christian, came to The Hope Project, he was feeling a little lost. He’d been through a failed relationship and had been attending a church that had left him disillusioned in his faith. He needed someone to walk with him on his journey back to God and the team of Ambassadors at The Hope Project was able to step into that discipleship role.
“I don’t recall exactly what happened, I just remember that it was a Sunday morning and I felt a push to go visit the church Sumus Ecclesia, so I texted Micah and asked him about it,” said Roland. “When I reached The Hope Project, the vision they have of being family and being the church helped get me back on track. I found a place where it didn’t matter what I had done or where I had been, all that mattered was the love of God. I was seeing what I had heard for years, embarrassingly even taught, being walked out in reality and it just felt different.”
Through this connection with The Hope Project, Roland’s life has been changed. There’s been a shift in perspectives from the way he sees himself to the way he sees others. Gone are the days of judging people by their sins or judging himself by past choices, and here to stay are the days of taking this really big love that he has experienced and giving it away. Through relational discipleship and Christian fellowship at The Hope Project, Roland has learned that he can love people right where they are, he can love his family in a healthy way, and truly love his neighbors. He walks in confidence and understands that he is fully known and fully loved by God.
“What keeps me going is love, not the cheesy meaning of the word, but like God’s love being truly manifested through someone,” said Roland. “God changed me through the church, through Micah and Melissa, Charlie and Astrid. I’ve never been much of a prophecy guy, but they will know me by the way you love each other is what I saw, and that’s what triggered this transformation.”
Roland now serves on the team of Til He Returns as Pastor and Director of Spiritual Development on location in Costa Rica.
Ayyyy Rolando! I love this story.