This past month, God threw me a curve ball. Instead of going to Uganda, the men of D-Squad were sent to the newest nation on the planet: South Sudan. South Sudan was formed due to some of the Muslim influence in Sudan.
We arrived on poorly paved roads, too tired to stand up. Our cab driver had overcharged and over bumped me to the point where I was even wondering if going to South Sudan was going to make a difference.
We spent the next week digging "rubbish pits" and manual labor for a YWAM base. While I knew this to be "work for the kingdom", I felt a bit taken advantage of. On Sunday I was sent to a church to be "the American missionary". However, I expected to be asked "what I had learned on the field". Again, entitlement was ripped away from me as the church welcomed me to be part of their congregation. We were allowed to be part of the community, even though I was the "Mzungu".
We travelled through markets, talking with people, worshipping "unplugged" with a guitar and a cahoon on the base, being a brotherhood of Christians. Sure, we had our hangups that come with community, but in the end I really think that our witness was what we did when we thought no one was watching.
The way Jesus had made us a unique entity in a new country showed me what ministry is: Not doing what we think God wants us to do, but rather, letting God change you and then sharing your life as a living sacrifice for others.
I found that when I lived with God as my centerpiece, it didn't matter what I wanted to do.
Rather, the freedom allowed me to be God's man, how to fight and live for His heart.
