So I think a lot of people have a misconception as to what I’m doing on this ministry trip. I’ve come to realize that some people when they hear of mission trips picture teenagers who go to a foreign country solely to take instagram photos and then go thump locals mercilessly with random bible quotes. While there are definitely missionaries that do that we do not operate like that. One thing that is evident throughout ministry is that if you don’t form a relationship with the people you’re ministering to they will not accept Christ. No matter how good the message is and no matter how charismatic you are no one will listen to what you have to say if you don’t actually treat them like actual people. Today I went and talked to buddhist monks and some high school students for ministry. I talked to a monk named “Bor” and two high school students named “Ese”and “Chai” (these spellings are my best guess,but they’re probably wrong). When we started our conversations I didn’t start by telling them about God, but I started by asking them questions about their lives such as their favorite hobbies or about their lifestyles; we also told jokes to one another and we laughed together. I only mentioned God when the conversation worked up to it, but I didn’t shove it down their throats. This is also not a one time thing, I plan on meeting these people again because they were good people who I enjoyed being around and I want to form bonds with them. Ministry is not just about preaching the gospel; while that’s very important it’s also very important to get to know the people to whom you want to share Christ with.
