I met Mary, an energetic woman with sparkling eyes and an infectious laugh, on my recent holiday. Mary serves in a troubled part of our world. It’s dangerous work. She can’t speak the language. Being a woman complicates matters more, but she loves her work. She overcomes, I suggested, because love speaks all languages. ‘Oh, yes!’, she said. And then she told me about her first ‘short term mission’.

Mary volunteered to serve at an American Indian Convention in a remote part of the United States. With her big heart and outgoing personality, she was sure she would bless hundreds with the love of Jesus.

Upon arrival, Mary was assigned her responsibility. Every morning at 3:00am she got out of bed, went to the field where the convention was held and picked up mountains of garbage, so that when the convention restarted at 10:00am, the field was spotlessly clean.

And she did the same thing the next morning, and the next morning, and the next. And nobody noticed, and nobody cared. All they did, in gratitude, was make another mountain of mess. Mary began to resent her ‘mission’ and the people she was supposed to love.

One morning, about 6:00am, two delegates staggered towards her, obviously under the influence. One shouted, ‘What are you doing that for, stupid?’. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, her words didn’t feel like her own, Mary responded, ‘Because I love you, just as Jesus loves you’.

One man laughed. The other listened and wept. He tracked her down later that day and gave his life to Jesus. Love speaks all languages. God works mighty power through love.