Today in Cambodia was a Holiday to remember the king, so instead of teaching at the school (since it was closed for the day), our squad leaders decided that we were going to do a different type of ministry. This ministry is called “Ask The Lord” ministry, otherwise shortened to “ATL” ministry. This meant that we had the opportunity to pray in our small teams about what the Lord was leading us to do that day, and go out and just minister to the people that God was leading us to.
Before going out into the city, we got into our teams and silently prayed and asked God to show us what he is trying to tell us. This is what we call “listening prayer”. In my previous blog “Be Still” I talked about how to let the Lord just speak to you or show you what it is he is trying to show you by just asking him. These steps included 1. Asking God to quiet your own voice, 2. Asking God to quiet the voice of the enemy, and 3. Asking God to quiet the voice of the world to just hear him speaking above all of the noises. So as I sat silently praying, I asked the Lord to do all of these things, and I asked him to show me something, just anything. The Lord gave me a picture that at first, I thought was foolish and of my own mind. This was not the case at all.
After our silent prayer, my sweet teammate Lauryn told us not to hold back sharing what the Lord showed us when we were praying. I held back for a little bit, but then I shared. I shared that I got this picture of a little boy wearing a Spider-Man shirt. I know it sounds odd. Some of my other teammates got the word “market”, so we knew that God was calling us there.
We got ready and walked as a team to the market, and at the market, There’s this sweet lady who sells delicious sugary lemon iced-tea. My teammates were wondering where she was, and I knew, so I led us to her to quench our thirst on this hot day. We walked over to her, and I spotted this little boy. You’ll never guess what he was wearing. If you guessed a spider man shirt, then you were spot on. All that was going through my mind was “wait, no way, what???” The first little boy I saw was wearing a spider-man shirt, the exact picture that God had put into my head during my silent prayer. Was this just a coincidence? No, it was what I like to call a CHRIST-incidence.
His name is Lond, and he was shy at first, but as soon as we pulled out a nickel and played “which hand is it in?” He was all about it. My heart was feeling reassured that God was right there, and he always is. It was also awesome to think how some of my teammates received the word “market” from the Lord, and I saw Lond in the market wearing a Spider-Man shirt. God is an awesome God.
After playing with the kids, and conversing with the adults in the market, we felt that the Holy Spirit was telling us to keep going, because he had even more of his glory and goodness to show us. As we were walking, I spotted another little boy on a moped with his mother. Again, the little guy was wearing a shirt with spider-man on the front of it. OKAY GOD, I SEE YA!!! I was shocked. It’s difficult, because I still don’t know what this means, and maybe I’ll never know. Maybe God was just trying to tell me that he was with is, and he IS with us wherever we go to glorify him.
We had so many other amazing things that happened that day. We played with children, we worshipped under a bridge where a man who spoke no English was fishing, and then some of my teammates felt that God was calling them to go into a pagoda (a Buddhist temple). So we walked to one. We were walking inside and we were trying to figure out what way to go. One of my teammates, Tennessee shouted “right”, so to the right we went. We spotted this man who appeared to be maybe homeless, and he was alone sitting on the curb. We all decided to sit with him, and just talk with him. He spoke no English. We tried a few times to ask his name, but he wasn’t replying to our questions well, so Grace, another one of my teammates reached out her hand and just prayed for him. Lauryn was speaking in tongues, which is such an amazing gift God gives to people, and it’s beautiful. It’s a sacred language that God uses to speak through people, and it’s not a language known to man.
Lauryn had brought her Polaroid camera (you all know how those work), and she took a picture of this man. Then she just looked at us and said “I’m about to do something you guys might think is crazy”. She gave him the picture, and started talking to him directly in tongues, and he was responding. He was laughing and saying “yes”. My teammate Kate, and I just broke out in tears. What was this we were witnessing? Watching two people who speak two completely different languages communicating with each other in God’s perfect truth. That was the moment where I truly felt like we were God’s vessels, and today, he specifically used Lauryn, my wonderful teammate. Please read more about it on her blog, and her thoughts and feelings at laurynraleigh.theworldrace.org
It was such a wonderful day, and as Derek shepherd always said “it’s a beautiful day to save lives” (Grey’s Anatomy). Well it truly was. It always is.
I just want to use this to encourage you to do ATL ministry in your hometown or anywhere you go! Whether it be at the grocery store, school, walking around or anywhere really! Just ask God who he’s leading you to pray for, or even just have a conversation with and just love on someone who might need it. Loving each other is Christ.
“By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35
With love, Bekah
God bless you!
