A challenge that I have for myself is to find at least one person to invest in in every country. I want to make sure that I am intentional with my time. I didn’t sign up to do The World Race to just make a bunch of friends around the world.
It’s month three and I have already had to stop and check myself from falling trap to being a tourist. When I leave each country the first thing I seem to do is add my new friends on Facebook…and then what? I have a couple of ongoing messages with people I have met, but where is the Gospel in all of this. Where did I intentionally seek out deep conversation besides the superficial?
My host from Nepal posed a great question. “If you were to look back on your time during the World Race would you have identified yourself as a tourist or a disciple?” A tourist is someone who comes to seek, conquer and forget. A disciple goes. They risk their life. They receive the call from Jesus. They are faithful. I came on the World Race to “Go. Do. Witness.” Not “Seek. Conquer. Forget.”
So how do I go forward from here… God is humorous and likes to challenge me (which I appreciate. It’s the only way to grow). I am in a closed country. We have to take precautions as great as not saying the word prayer or God. We can’t be in groups larger than 15 because it will attract unwanted attention. I can’t take my Bible out in public. This month is solely based on making relationships. Getting deep with people on a personal level so that there is trust to be open about spiritual things.
This month I was a little disappointed. I had come into this month with this newfound revelation, ready to make a change, be bold…and our task for the month was working in our host’s café. Running a restaurant during the holiday season is tiring work. We easily spent 14 hr work days being baristas, cooks and servers. The silver lining to this month was working with the staff at the café.
A majority of the staff are deaf. They were some of the most loving and serving people I have met. Many of them are Christians. They always seemed to have a smile on their faces. They were so kind to my team and I. We came to help them during their busiest time of year and were probably in their way more than helpful.
There were two non-hearing impaired staff members we helped teach English to. They came to the city to learn English. One of the men wanted to learn English so he could learn more about the Bible and bring it back to the children of his village. The other man left his village so that he could find the “story” that God had written for him.
We were able to meet with these men only a couple times this month but every meeting was a joy. They desired a greater understanding of God and would ask thought provoking questions. I forgot how much I missed talking about my faith and answering the “why” questions.
They were intent on learning English. When we had small breaks after the lunch rush, one of them would run around the kitchen pointing at every object he could find to learn the English word for it. While the other one would pull out his notebook to write it all down. It was a welcomed breath of fresh air after a hot stressful day in the kitchen.
Looking back on those moments brings a smile to my face. This month’s ministry wasn’t anymore unconventional than the past months of construction, teaching and medical camps. I had big plans for this month and had a bad attitude about working in a café. I wanted more opportunities to be intentional and here I was serving strangers food.
God’s plan was supposed to be mine. Not the other way around. This was a humbling lesson I learned. Yes, God had placed this call on my life to GO, but I was supposed to be doing this WITH Him. When I took a step back and remembered I needed Him, my eyes were opened to joyful moments like talking with the two staff members.
Sometimes the intentional conversations that we are seeking are happening without us even realizing. This month was a great reminder of what life could be like when I return in August 2017 (woot woot!). I have no idea what I am doing after the Race. If my career is to be a nurse then those 14 hours I spend in a hospital are not a waste. Ministry can be done anywhere as long as you do it WITH the Lord. You can’t have ministry without God.
Now, onto month 4 in Cambodia with a new team (Brittany Collins, Sequoi Phipps, Amy Brule, Danielle Portfleet, Anna-Bonita Reynosa, Hayley Thomas). We call ourselves Team Kornweh. It is a combination of our old team names “Korban” and “Fernweh”. Please be praying for my team as we enter this new year and community. Also, please pray for those who are still fundraising. I have hyperlinked their names to their blog page. The last deadline to be fully funded is by the end of January. Please learn more about these awesome women of Christ I will be doing ministry with.
