Nothing has been the same on the race. We are constantly seeing change within each country, culture. and village. Our ministries have varied from door to door ministry in the mountains of Panama, to teaching English in the slums of Costa Rica. So although ministry looks different each month and sometimes from day to day, I am still surprised each time God provides “unscheduled” ministry.
The past few weeks I have been praying that ministry would become a more natural way of life, that my eyes would be opened to the endless possibilities to serve others throughout the day, and that the Holy Spirit would guide me when I am unsure and second guess the faint whisper telling me to dive in. I have thought about what ministry may look like after the race and if it would in fact become more natural after 11 months of serving. It is easy to be focused on ministry when one is involved at church, an after school program for city kids, or on an 11-month mission trip, but what about the ministry opportunities that aren’t scheduled or planned out? The ones that are easily over looked? The ones we don’t realize are just as important as the others and can still further the kingdom? I have learned so much about ministry while out on the field. One of the things I’ve learned is that ministry can look like so many different things. As I learned a few weeks ago, sometimes ministry looks like giving a beggar 10 ringgits so that he can get hair cut.
Two weeks ago, a few of my squad mates and I were sitting outside a restaurant, finishing up our lunch, and chatting about our month in Malaysia. As we were getting ready to leave, an elderly man pulled up a chair next to us. He introduced himself and then began to explain that in order to start his job the next day, he needed a hair cut. I immediately felt like I should give him the money but those thoughts were immediately followed with doubt.
Why should I give him the money? He may be lying. He may use the money for drugs or anything other than getting a hair cut. I don’t have a lot of money. 10 ringgits is two-thirds of my food budget for the day.
I asked the man where his barber shop was located and he explained that it was a 20 minute walk. I didn’t feel safe about going off in a city that I was unfamiliar with just to make sure the man was actually going to the barber so I decided that I wasn’t going to give him the money. But I then felt even stronger about giving. I looked to my friends for some sign as to whether I should do it but their faces were blank. I just wanted someone to tell me what to do. And again I felt “give”. As I reached across the table to hand him the 10 ringgits I simply said, “I really hope that you use this money on a haircut.” I watched him as he walked away but quickly lost him in the crowd. I didn’t really feel peace about it but knew there was nothing I could do. Two hours later a few squad mates and I were preparing to leave the hostel but we got distracted for about an hour. Once we were finally ready to leave, the craziest thing happened..
Just as we were walking out the door, a man was passing by on the sidewalk. He must have noticed who we were out of the corner of his eye because he said with excitement, “It’s you!” We soon realized who the man was as he began shouting with excitement, “Look, I got my hair cut. I get to go to work tomorrow.” As he said this he held up what I can only imagine was his hair wrapped up in a paper towel. I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. He thanked us again and was on his way. Trying to process everything that was happening in that moment was somewhat overwhelming. While being on the race, I have struggled with being unsure of whether or not I am hearing Gods voice. So for me, this moment was affirmation that I do hear God’s voice and that the Holy Spirit does guide me throughout each day. One of the things that can sometimes be difficult to understand while on the race, or in our walk as Christians is that we may never see the fruit that is produced by the work we are doing for the Lord. Sometimes when you give a beggar money for a haircut you just have to trust that you are listening to the Holy Spirit even when you don’t know if you are going to see fruit from it. So in going forward with ministry, I will never forget the way I felt that day. In that moment, God gave me a gift that not only made me feel connected to Him but that also allowed me to see a result of what sharing His love can look like by doing something so small.
