Month 1 has wrapped up and my squad is back together for debrief in Bali in preparation to begin traveling together into our next stop with Thailand. As we have been reflecting and finally had some time to process everything I am realizing that this last month in Indonesia the Lord was super gracious to lay down a foundation for and shift my mindset for the months to come .
This month ended up looking nothing like what I expected , but as always, in the best way possible .
I came to the realization that without really knowing it I had an ideal picture of ministry or at least what I thought ministry should look like for me.
I thought that me and Jesus were going to be hard at work in the trenches trying to save souls…. which we were , but without really realizing it I assumed that looked a lot grungier and nitty gritty than it has to be.
God knew my idea of ministry was too narrow and he acted accordingly.
One of our beautiful and oh so wise hosts this month set the tone for my team with story of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshachand, Abednego and how they were appointed by God to serve and bring Gods message to a king and live what probably looked like a lush life ( after the whole lions den and furnace thing of course lol ).
This month I got to see the big picture of the Kingdom at work and how every little piece is just as important as the next.
Here is a taste of what I learned ministry could be this last month.
- Ministry is an international school that is technically a Christian school but accepts students of ALL religions.
- Ministry is giving up life in America to teach students overseas with the goal and desire of discipling them.
- Ministry is having a vision of influencing the future of a country through the children.
- Ministry is being a university professor and challenging peoples paradigms of the religion they were born into.
- Ministry is walking through kampungs( or villages) just to build relationships with the people.
- Ministry is creating a space for the deaf to the gather and worship Jesus ( did you know that the deaf are an unreached people group??….now you do
).
- Ministry is taking the time to learn sign language and worship with the deaf so that they know that they are heard.
- Ministry is going to language school and learning a foreign language to further the gospel in that language.
- Ministry is going to semanary with the vision of bringing the gospel to your very own people and culture.
- Ministry is meeting people where they are and introducing them to the idea of a loving God for the first time ever.
- Ministry is translating music or creating music unique to a cultures style.
- Ministry is house church.
- Ministry is going to dinner and creating space for fellowship and encouragement.
- Ministry is conversation.
- Ministry is looking someone in the eyes and acknowledging that you see them as the beautiful creation that God created them to be.
- Ministry is weed whacking and mowing lawns and being the first “bulay” or white person seen doing so.
- Ministry is answering the question of ” why ” , with because we love Jesus.
- Ministry is making a group for moms to meet and practice English in hopes that Jesus would shine through.
- Ministry is having the job title of a missionary.
- Ministry is spending time with those missionary’s in fellowship and encouraging them… It’s helping to help fill their cups so that they can continue giving from it.
- Minstry is giving people a taste of Jesus that they would maybe never have had otherwise and hoping for disciples but if not at least knowing that they will see Christians in a different light.
Ministry is NOT always having less.
Ministry and being a missionary doesn’t always mean living in grass huts or in what we would consider poverty.
Ministry could mean reaching the lost and unreached or it could mean reaching and influencing leaders or future leaders of these unreached nations so that the gospel can flourish in the future.
It is always being Jesus however that may look for you.
Taking a look at Jesus’s ministry we see that most if the time he had conversations and told stories. It wasn’t always a sermon or a breakdown of the gospel that impacted lives.
Moving forward I am thankful for all the perspective I have gained this month. I know the Holy Spirit can turn ANYTHING into a ministry opportunity and am grateful that I have Him to do so.
Also , I get to leave this country with an immense hope and knowledge that He IS moving here and there are so many different ways He is doing so .
