Today, I had the divine opportunity to speak with someone I didn't know. 

It was a nice change. 

Don't worry, we're still in quarantine. 

It was nice to talk to someone outside of speaking with my family, friends, and teammates over video calls.

My interaction was with Miriam, our hotel maid—masked up and socially-distanced, but warm.

I asked her for new towels and more shampoo, and I quickly realized she didn't speak much English, so I thanked her in Spanish and told her I was all set.

Her face immediately lit up.  

So I kept talking to her in Spanish, asked for her name and introduced myself.  She was so kind and seemed so excited just to talk to someone.

Wow, thank you, Jesus. 

Mind you, my Spanish isn't great, but I still try.

I try because I want to communicate to all the people I can in their native tongues, even if my Spanish is broken and grammatically horrific.  

Even sounding like an idiot, fumbling around with my words, is more beneficial to the Kingdom than not speaking at all. 

As I've said before, one of my favorite things in life is to meet new people and make them feel seen, heard, and valued.  Why?  Because they are.  Every life matters to Jesus, and this is the natural-born joy within my heart for ministry He has given me.

It's how I operate in my regular life, and being quarantined for a week has reminded me how much I miss these seemingly-random interactions of love.

I miss talking to new people, asking for their names, remembering them, forming relationships, and loving them well. 

May I always be able to do that.  

Praise Jesus that I can. 

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7