A year ago I was tenting on a sand dune in Malawi for a month. Every evening, I would attempt to remain standing while getting into my sand littered tent with my sprained knee. I hated living out of a tent, but it was worth it. During that month, God showed me how I was seeing myself and how He was seeing me. The two didn’t line up and it broke me. I had to go through brokenness before I could be restored. I had to see myself how He saw me before I could genuinely show others how He sees them. God was transforming my view.
At the end of the month, we put on a soccer tournament where I met a little boy who is developmentally delayed. All the other kids tried to keep him away from us because they saw him as a nuisance. They couldn’t see his worth because he was different. Through our actions, we showed him and those kids that every person has worth. Jesus didn’t see the little children as a nuisance; he saw them as a delight. God delights in each one of us and wants us to step into that reality. For this experience and realization alone, it was worth going on the World Race.
In May, my team was working at a men’s Christian rehab center called Village of Hope in Estonia. The majority of these men are criminals who have substance abuse problems. They were in prison because they had to get their fix any way they could. They only saw themselves as their problems and the things they had done. This program not only helps them reintegrate into society and manage their addictions, but it brings them to the root of the problem. Jesus is the only one who can truly heal them from their brokenness, from their false identity.
Aarvi arrived the day after we did. He had just been released from prison into VoH. He would go about his tasks without joy and without interacting. Every day, he would see us stacking logs, filled with joy and laughter. A week later, he asked his leader why we were so happy all the time. He told Aarvi it was because we knew Jesus. By the end of the month, Aarvi was interacting and smiling more. He shared his struggles and how he was beginning to see God differently. God was healing his brokenness!
While I was in Cambodia in September, I was sick most of the month and the ministry didn’t resonate with me. However, God showed me that just because we don’t like something, doesn’t mean he isn’t working in it. My teammate encouraged me to press into what God was doing. God used me to encourage one of the Christian teachers at the school where we were teaching English. Anou was only seeing what her fiancé told her she was, and wasn’t seeing how valuable and beautiful she is to God. I shared my story and spoke life into her through the words God showed me. I didn’t get to see the results of God’s work, but I believe He has a reason for his requests and we are called to obedience.
My favorite month was October in Vietnam. We worked at a coffee house in Ho Chi Minh City. We built relationships with locals practicing conversational English. This was a way to share the Gospel without worrying about Vietnam’s religious restrictions.
Through these conversations, I could see that people in Vietnam are hungry for something more. They shared stories conveying how they put their identity in career, religion, family, or success, just like so many Americans. However, they were so interested in Christianity, my beliefs, and why I believe what I do. Through sharing about my relationship with Jesus, I know they saw something different. They saw the freedom I have in Christ, as opposed to the stifling oppression they are following. The Holy Spirit opened the door for them to choose life. We simply planted seeds for him to grow.
These four stories are only a few of the ways God used me this year. He showed me his goodness and his astounding love for people so many times on the WR. However, God’s stories don’t just occur in foreign countries on mission trips. You simply have to be available for the Holy Spirit to use you and believe in his power. My next blog will tell how God has worked in the U.S. since I’ve been home. Thank you so much for partnering with me to bring heaven on earth. Please pray for the children in Malawi, Aarvi and the other men in VoH, Anou, and the disenchanted in Vietnam.
I am continuing to follow God’s call to make disciples through long term missions. His next step for me is a discipleship/training program called Center for Global Action with AIM. I began last week and will finish early May. I will continue writing on this blog as long as I am working with AIM. Please contact me at [email protected] if you have any questions/comments or would like to partner with me to make disciples in the nations.
