I knew when I signed up for the World Race that I’d be stepping out of my comfort zone; but I was unaware of to what extent. I just figured God would use me to love and form relationships with widows and orphans, to build and do manual labor where needed, or other ministries that fit into my “comfort bubble.” Never did I think He would put it on my heart to preach at a church in India or share my testimony in front of a room full of boys in a Thailand prison.
It was not far into this mission trip that I was asked to do one of these. God put it on my heart to step out and preach a message at a church one Sunday in Ongole, India.
I’d like to paint a picture of what this day looked like; my team and I along with our ministry hosts road in the back of a “truck-truck” into a village that had Hindu music playing all around us, (given one of there Hindu festivals was taking place that week). When we finally made it to the end of the dirt road, we arrived to a tiny building with an open field behind it. Livestock were roaming all throughout the field and village and children were running around smiling from ear to ear and filling the air with laughter. We sat outside until service was about to start and that is when the pastor lead us to the front of the church and pointed to 7 chairs that were facing the people. To our surprise this building could fit a lot more people than what we expected.
Praise and worship started and people from the village began piling in. If I could have guessed, I’d say over forty people made there way into this small church. Some even stood outside if there was not enough room. The church had a couple ceiling fans that were on unless the electricity cut out; which happened often in the villages. One thing we learned about India right at the start was that it gets HOT! But people still showed up! As the Pastor sang and walked through the crowd, I noticed myself scanning the faces of the men, women, and children in the crowd. It was at that time that God reminded me again why I was there and why He asked me to preach; why my team and I were on the World Race and specifically in India. He also reminded me that being a Christian isn’t always easy and that a lot of His children that were in front of me were struggling.
When it was time for me to preach I ended up reading through different verses in Luke 4, when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. I shared parts of my testimony and how Scripture helped Jesus when He was tempted, along with myself. After the service ended my ministry host/translator told me that the topic that I spoke about was “a very good one” and “good for the people to hear.”
After service we got to pray for every person that wanted us to! I’m beyond thankful that God gave me the opportunity and courage to step out in something that (at first) scared me and to bring Him glory in the midst of it.
Praise and worship!
First time preaching! YAY Jesus!
Here are some of the sweet young ladies that my team and I prayed for after service.
The Pastor and his family and my team and I.
Nepal was INCREDIBLE!! The first week we were there our ministry host told us he needed people to share there testimonies, preach, and lead a worship song each Saturday morning at church. After preaching in India I decided I wanted to try to either preach or share my testimony at least once every month in each country. But when sign ups came around for the upcoming weekend some of ladies on my team signed me up to lead a worship song. They beat me to it. 🙂
(Sidenote: The ladies on my team have been awesome about encouraging me to step out in confidence and get out of my comfort zone. Thanks for calling me higher team!)
Saturday came around and we were told that we were going to speak in three different church services. I was a little nervous but a verse kept replaying through my head on the ride there; when we are weak, He is strong. God spoke these words to my heart right when I needed it.
Each service went wonderful and we ended up singing a few different songs. After the second service my team asked if I wanted to share my testimony for the final service. I agreed to do it and God gave me peace and confidence in Him. That day I was reminded once again that there is power in our testimonies and our testimony can help set people free. I’m super grateful that I got to share that day. My prayer for each person during each service was that they left encouraged and feeling more loved by our amazing Father.
This photo is of me sharing my testimony for the first time at a church in Nepal.
Which leads me to THAILAND! 🙂
Ministry in Chiang Mai thus far has been amazing!! Every Tuesday and Thursday we visit prisons and juvenile detentions. Our first Tuesday here our ministry host Pat took us to an all boys juvenile detention. I’ve never done this kind of ministry before so I did not know what exactly to expect. When my team and I got there we were split up into two different groups. My group ended up spending a couple hours with the teen age group. When they boys came in, the Thai youth leader led them in a few songs. After they were done, the youth leader asked us to share our testimonies. Each of us did this and afterwards the boys had lots of questions. We in turn got to ask them questions too.
We learned that the majority of them were in there because of drugs; whether they sold them and/or were caught with them in there possession. After they were done asking questions the youth leader asked them if anyone wanted to live there life for Christ and learn more about the Fathers love for them. He spent time explaining what that meant and once he was done, 4 of the boys raised there hands in response to his question. My team and I ended up spending a little more time with them and passing out Thai bibles and christian books to each of the boys. I know we are only here for 1 month but we plan on going to see these boys every Tuesday until we leave. Our ministry host also goes there each Tuesday whether it is by himself, with local churches, or with other missionaries. It was great being a part of what our ministry host has already started here in Thailand. The vision God placed in his heart is definitely coming to fruition and so many, including myself, have learned and grown from it!
I loved writing this blog because I got to reflect on all that God has been doing not only in my life but the lives of so many around me! Thank you for taking the time to read this. My prayer is that you all find these testimonies and stories encouraging and that it inspires you to step out of your comfort zone too.
What is God calling you to do?
