As a traveling, short-term missionary you plant seeds wherever you go. However, many times, you won’t be around to see the growth in the seeds you plant. Many seeds take years and years to grow and the impact of your time there might even be for a generation of believers after you. Sometimes, the work seems inefficient, mundane, and disorganized, and your left wondering if you’re even making any difference at all.
These are the times where you have to fix your gaze on Jesus even more. These are the times you sing with Jesus when tasks seem inefficient. These are the times you pray and talk to Him when tasks seem mundane. These are the times you rejoice in the Holy Spirit’s order in the midst of disorganization. When everything you’re doing seems like it’s not making any difference at all, this is the time when you TRUST JESUS even more.
The Grace of God is sufficient. And, even when you don’t see the growth from the seeds you plant, you trust the source of life – God who gives living water to the seeds and who provides the sun for its nourishment. God, who protects the seeds as they fall on good soil. God, who carefully takes care of the seed from beginning to end.
And sometimes…God who cares about your soul and wants to bring rest to your doubts, will send people your way to give you a testimony of just how impactful your time was with them. This blog is one of those testimonies. A blessed gift from God, who silences all my doubts and reminds me that every seed we plant has a purpose! He, who is omnipresent and omniscient, knows every seed and He does not waste any one of it.
So, I pray that as you read this testimony you are also encouraged to believe and trust the God sees your work and He will grow those seeds your planting according to His good and perfect will and timing. And, I pray that we as His disciples will remain steadfast in the truth that all that we do must be for the Glory of God, and we do all things unto the Lord.
A testimony from one of our World Race America Ministry Partners:
“The Lord is faithful and truly looking out for His flock. I am privileged to oversee a local affiliate of Love INC. in Sussex County Delaware. I received an email requesting if World Race America (WRA) could come and minister with us to our neighbors that we serve. I had never heard of WRA. But, when I clicked on the video provided in the email and saw what the vision was, I immediately felt this was God’s invitation. It was evident their hearts were just like ours.
We connected with Gisele Marie who was coordinating the group’s time as they travel around the United States. Her heart for the Lord was full of zeal. She shared about the team she was bringing and ways the team was equipped to serve. All being ways in which our ministry was thirsty to receive the support.
The meeting of our two ministries, Love Inc. and World Race America was orchestrated truly by our Heavenly Father who I believe blessed us by bringing us all together.
Our missionaries came, and immediately we knew that we found friends within this amazing group of young Christians who were travelling from all over the country. Each missionary left a mark on our community for the good. Their hearts were available to hear the hurting world that was right here on our soil.
Our community and our campus which was created to help the least of these is full of the broken. The neighbors coming to our campus are hungry for refuge, often homeless or suffering from generational poverty and many experiencing addictions. To bring fresh missionary workers right here on our own soil was like a cool drink on a hot day. We needed the encouragement and new energy. We were able to see them fall in love with our neighbors that we serve and see them with eyes like Jesus. This tender mercy was honoring to our ministry.
The missionaries learned about our work and we learned about their call to serve and we heard stories from their travels thus far. We had a long list of physical work to do along with feeding our guests and helping them with laundry and showers. They weeded, dug trenches, laid mulch, organized food, folded laundry, swept floors, scrubbed toilets, hauled trash away…. the chores they accomplished were endless. Our home and place where we serve began to sparkle!
The parts that were most tangible and lasting from their visit were the relationships built and the investment they put into our neighbors. There was a bible study they taught for ladies of our community called Beauty for Ashes. The participants found healing in this time together. There was an impromptu football game the fellows played on the final day. For a moment they weren’t homeless, they were simply men having fun throwing a football.
When we were visited by WRA, we had been hearing of COVID-19 on the news, but the world had not shut down yet. Nor did we think it would. But, it did shut down the following week of their visit.
I reflect about the time we had together, the fresh Holy Spirit fire they brought and where it was in the timeline. It was right before the largest shift in our ministry in which the ways we had to conduct our programs were greatly affected due to the pandemic.
I’ve concluded, their visit was to prepare us for the most trying time. They provided a huge lift and refueling in preparation of what was to come. Our world literally shifted, from open to close on March 16th. (We had the WRA team with us the two weeks prior to the shutdown). On March 16th, our ministry, the work we do did not stop. Instead we simply changed how we did things, but it was not easy or lacking any stress.
What a wonderful blessing we were awarded. We knew it then, but when you look back at the timeline, the visit and timing of when they were here was even more critical to our work. (Isn’t God amazing?)
The WRA missionaries individually answered a call to bring the Love of Christ to a hurting world. It was a truly transformative encounter to see their call be realized. Each of them is forever in our prayers. Their desire to surrender themselves to the work of the Lord brings hope to the world.
Many of our staff and volunteers have remained in prayer and connected with the team on social media. I see Gisele Marie in her posts sharing and declaring a revival in our country! I stand with her on this call for revival and to come out of our comfortable buildings and be in the highways and hedges to be the real church. Revival does indeed start with a repentant heart. To repent is not to feel guilty of what we have done wrong, but to simply turn away from the wrong, and turn toward God. This is what I saw in each person on the WRA team; walking boldly toward God, completely surrendered from their own desires and in stride with what Jesus would do.
In the sight of our nation being “closed” our Christian church members across the world who did not hold their building as church; were the ones who kept the Church open to the hurting world. I praise God for the OPEN Church during this season.
Blessed are the missionaries in the field (both local and abroad), the prayers from those who were vulnerable (but knew prayer was sufficient), the essential workers who put the armor of God on and went to work to save lives or provide, the food distributors, and all those who chose to keep Church open during this pandemic. Not the building; the people who are the Church. Because as we know, the people are the Church, not the building! Praise God for the hearts of those who answer the call to be the hands and feet of Christ. Praise God for the WRA!” – written and shared with approval by Susan Kent
**Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for human master, since you know that you will receive an inheritance form the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. – Colossians 3:23-24**
