I have to admit, there have been times on this trip that ministry looks much different than what I had planned in my mind. You think as a missionary you will go evangelize the whole world, eliminate poverty, and save the day! You have this super hero complex. You really think that YOU can do it all….and then you get to the field. You discover pretty quickly that ministry is something much different.
Take for example this month in Thailand.
Our team was originally supposed to be working in an orphanage not too far away from where we are currently staying. Plans changed as soon as we arrived in Thailand. The orphanage was in the middle of a very busy time of change and told our contacts at YWAM that they could no longer take us this month. Great…as soon as we get to Thailand our ministry fell through. So now what? Well I have to tell you that YWAM has their act together. They gave us a cultural briefing and by the time that was finished they had another contact already lined up for my team. His name is Pastor Wasan and he is an awesome man of God. When he first picked us up from the bus stop we were blown away by his love and generosity. He began to explain to us that we were going to be working at a local community center
doing landscaping work in the day, teaching English at night to students in the area and help out with church on Sundays. I’m going to be honest, at first I was kind of bummed. I thought to myself…”landscaping…
English teaching?”
“Is this what I signed up for?” Little did I know God would teach me a huge lesson in obedience. I was praying one day and began to express my frustrations to God about the ministry this month. I was asking him questions about why he had us here. “What was the point of this month?”…. “Really?” Just to landscape and teach English?” “You brought me half way around the world to do some gardening and talk about the alphabet!!!!? I was a little livid. But then God whispered to my spirit in a loving, fatherly tone….”Just do what you have been asked to do and glorify me in it.”
He reminded me that he loves an obedient heart. He gets glory when we are obedient. He then reminded me about one of the coolest stories of the Old Testament. The story is about Joshua leading the people of Israel to the battle of Jericho. If you don’t know the story let me sum it up. God tells Joshua to attack and take over this city called Jericho. However this city is on some serious steroids. It has these gigantic walls that are so thick that chariots could have races on the top of them. We are talking about a massive fortress. But here is the catch, instead of taking this city by force God tells Joshua to walk around the city with the priests and all of the army once a day. He tells them to do this for six days and then on the seventh day they were to blow trumpets and shout really loud and God said the walls would fall flat. I have to tell you that I would not want to be Joshua in this moment. Could you imagine hearing those instructions from God and then having to go tell your fierce soldiers the game plan? I can just hear Joshua…”Ok guys, here is the plan…now bear with me here…instead of fighting like mad men we are going to just walk around the city, completely silent, once a day for six days. Then, on the seventh day we are going to blow the trumpets and shout really loud and the walls are going to fall down!….who is with me!!!!?” Honestly I would have opted out of this battle for the sake of my sanity. I would have thought that Joshua was a little “off his rocker.” But the thing is, the battle happened just like the Lord said it would. They walked around the city silently once a day for six days and then on the seventh day they walked around it and blew those trumpets like crazy and shouted like wild men at the top of their lungs and the walls came tumbling down. 
Israel charged and conquered the city with ease. What’s my point? The point is that God honors obedience. He wants us to obey no matter what he calls us to and leave the rest up to him. I want to do it all on my own sometimes but God has reminded me in so many ways that He is the one who truly changes things. It is not US, it is HIM! He may use us to witness to someone or rescue a girl out of sexual slavery or hold a dying orphan….but he can also use us to pull weeds, rake up leaves, trim some bushes, edge a stone path, preach, teach a new worship song and teach some English classes. It all looks so different but it all gives Him glory because we are being obedient to what he has called us to. This was the need here at the community center. They needed some landscape work done, some preaching and worship for church, and some English classes taught…. “Ok God…I can do that….and in the process maybe see some walls fall down!!!” 
