What is ministry? Do you have to wear a skirt or tie, sing “Oh-lay-lay” or “Jesus loves me,” or preach from the Bible? Over the last month, the Lord has used my love for exercise to open my eyes to a whole new view on ministry. In Thailand, I frequented a local gym in Patong, using the time as an opportunity to pray over the men in bondage to lust.
Here in Phnom Penh, I daily trek over to the Olympic Stadium for aerobics class. It’s one of my favorite times of the day! The stadium is grass field “football” (soccer) stadium, surrounded by a gravel and dirt track, with massive concrete rows for sitting surrounding the stadium. At any given time, there are about 10 soccer games filled with kids and young adults on outskirts of the stadium. Inside, mass amounts of people run in the wee hours of the morning and in the late evening, wisely avoiding the midday heat. Aerobics are held on top of the concrete rows at 5 (a.m. and p.m.) each day. There are at least a dozen classes in progress. I found my favorite — the instructor is on-beat, excited, friendly, and half of the music is in English. Although the last few days I had been going to the evening aerobics, this morning I walked to the stadium at 4:45 a.m. and got an excellent work-out before most of my friends were up.
How is that ministry? As a foreigner, I stand out, so I’ve been able to make friends very quickly in this warm-hearted country. The other day after evening aerobics, they held a cool-down of Cambodian dancing. One of the ladies smiled warmly at me, gesturing for me to go join in the dancing. So I laughed and jokingly gestured back for her to join in. To my surprise, she laughed, jumped up, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out on the dance “floor” (concrete slabs at the top of the stadium, which double as aerobics floor and running track). She then taught me the different Cambodian dances, encouraging me to stay even when I had to leave for a meeting. The aerobics instructor Pon Lork is so welcoming and speaks excellent English. He gives all 100-150 of us an excellent workout, and then engages in conversation after the lesson.
Please pray with me for this time of ministry and exercise. Pray that lasting relationships will be formed in these next few weeks.
So yes, God uses the passions He’s placed within us, such as exercise and local relationships, in order to minister — whether it be singing in a skirt or aerobic dancing in long shorts and a T-shirt. Oh, and bonus deal: Aerobics has taught me to count to 10 in Khmer (Cambodian)!
