Over the last couple of months, I have had a hard time praying specific, bold prayers for ministry. I feel trapped inside this box of what ministry “should” look like, with set schedules and ministry hosts. It’s difficult going into a new country without local contacts, unfamiliar with the language or the surrounding environment, and trying to figure out where to start. Sometimes I think, if I don’t pray specific prayers, then I can’t be disappointed, right?
Starting in Indonesia, God has really been challenging me to intercede for others, to go on more prayer walks, and to prioritize morning prayer. I can’t speak the language, but I can freely walk around the city center and the shrines/temples, praying for the individuals that I’ve been meeting and praying against the idol worship.
After a week of debrief with our mentors on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, my team and I travelled to central Sri Lanka this past Monday. We were refreshed and ready for a new month, and started off our first team time with morning prayer and bible study. I felt God’s gentle reminder again to pray boldly and specifically, so I prayed for a local church to encourage and to meet a person of peace (Luke 10:6), someone who welcomes us and is open to the Gospel.
God likes to be funny sometimes. Shortly after we finished our morning prayer in the common area, the hostel owner walked over with another gentlemen and introduced him to us as the local pastor. I was floored.
The pastor asked, “Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?” We said yes, and he proceeded to tell us about how the hostel owner noticed that there was something different about us compared to other foreigners, so the owner called him while we were praying to meet us. We found out that the pastor has been trying to invite the hostel owner’s family to church for quite some time, and that he has been praying for helpers in this spiritually hardened town. He came back later that night and as we all sat in a circle by the kitchen, we had a chance to share our brief testimonies as the pastor translated for the hostel owner and his wife. We ended our time together with a Sinhalese worship song and Amazing Grace.
God showed up in a big way on my first day here. 1 John 5:14-15 says, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” I am still growing in my faith, but God takes the little faith that I have and says, “See? All you have to do is ask.”
Please pray for our next couple of weeks here as we discern what is the best way to support and encourage the local church as there is a lot of opposition and spiritual oppression. Please pray for favor with the locals and our relationship with the hostel hosts. One teammate hasn’t been feeling well so please pray for speedy recovery and protection for all of us against the heat and bugs. Thank you so much!
Breakfast and Morning Prayer
We asked for a group pic…and got a selfie!
We made new friends on our walk!
