As we entered into April this year, it brought lots of excitement and heat! After five days of travel, we were in Asia! ’Twas a completely different culture and my first time out of America, but also the hottest time of the year for where we landed! Besides waking up in sweat every day and dealing with a bit of heartburn from the spiciest foods ever, this country in Asia was beautiful! It has the most vibrant culture and the most hospitable people I’ve encountered in my 26 years of living! We got to wear kurtas, saris, and headscarves, and eat really incredible food. We were served so well and honored in the churches we visited. God put a sermon on my heart the first week and I got to share it in church on Easter Sunday! The first and last week, we taught at children’s Christian camps (again, the Lord blessed me with kids ministry), and the middle week, we did house visits around the town, prayed for families, and got to share our testimonies and encouragement with the people every day! I truly felt like a disciple of Jesus as we walked from house to house, little hands in ours and feet walking beside us, and crowds gathering as we prayed for the families!
One thing that…
- Made me feel alive: standing up in front of the whole town, nerves rushing through me but turning into excitement as the words form in my mouth, then as I begin sharing my testimony, suddenly Holy Spirit speaks through me and my testimony turns into an encouraging sermon! I love it when Holy Spirit gives me the words to speak!
- Was difficult this month: getting used to the culture was actually difficult, not knowing the language at all, sweating buckets even while showering or sitting over the squatty potty, and my team moved locations each week so it was exhausting.
- Broke my heart: the constant requests for us Americans to pray for the people. We loved praying and absolutely would, but it broke my heart to feel as if they put us on a pedestal because we are white, some asking us to bless them several times a day, as if God heard our prayers over their own. It seemed that many people we met, even Christians, did not know the authority they had in the Lord, as sons and daughters themselves.
- Has been revealed about my calling: I want to lift people up in the Lord, to help them truly know their own worth, their identity, their authority in Jesus Christ and that He hears their prayers.
- I am thankful for: air conditioning and fans! Truly gifts sent down from heaven!
To all those I met this month, thank you for your hospitality, for treating us like queens while under your roof. We had so many ministry opportunities and I loved it all, especially when surrounded by children. As shocking to my system as it was, I’m so thankful I had the chance to live in and experience the culture here and meet the amazing Christians who live there full time – furthering the Kingdom each day! I pray that the Lord continues to give you divine direction, strength, and strategy as you reach the lost and searching. I pray that the government will make a shift and allow Christians to freely preach the Good News and set the captives free! And I pray that the heat of the sun will calm down just a bit through next April.
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
~ James 1:12
