Tramping Part 2: Ministry

Some of us expected to meet up with 20, 30, even 50
people during our 2 weeks of tramping.

Some of us expected to make relationships with people so
deep that it would be unbearable to leave them.

Some of us expected many to come to Christ through our
prayers while we hiked.

Some of us expected to start a revival on the Hillary
Trail.

None of us expected what God actually did. 

 

It only took us a few days to realize that God didn’t
think we should meet 50 people while we tramped. He didn’t think we should
start a crazy revival among the hikers and campers of NZ. He didn’t think we
needed to see these things in order to see Him. And He was right.

We met Rika and Rupert, a couple from Germany, who
blessed our hearts with great conversation and great food for 2 days.

We met Estella, a young girl from Spain, who brought
light to Kristen’s eyes while they spoke Spanish to each other all afternoon.

We met Peter and his family who allowed us to pray for
the healing of his knee.

We met the Ryan family, NZ residents, who provided us
with clean water to drink and welcomed us into their home.

We met Tom and Ruthie who treated us as family and
overwhelmed us with blessings as we played with their children.

We met David and Robin who let us stay in their home and
take our first great shower in weeks.

God knew what we needed to see Him glorified and to feel
His blessings pour out on us. We will probably never see any of these people
again. Chances are we won’t even hear from most of them again. Despite that, we
will never forget our time in NZ. Although we are just a spec in these peoples’
lives, they have all had a huge impact on our lives and we will never forget
them.

God doesn’t care about numbers. He doesn’t care about our
expectations. He sure doesn’t care about how we think He should work through
us. God cares about loving people where they are. I want to do the same.

-erin