The schedule was thrown out the window this month. No set plans, no set place to go…we were given the reigns for the whole month in a country we have never stepped foot in. Intimidation, excitement, anticipation and fears were all present when finding out that our mini team was doing ATL, “Ask the Lord,” and having the Holy Spirit be our ministry host. It has been a super challenging and eye-opening experience as I look back and see how each day shapes up differently yet always produces a purpose and different measures of success.
This month has opened my eyes to how fruitful life can be if you just stop and smell the flowers. Going out into the world in anticipation of something great happening and relying on the Lord to provide the right opportunity has been a leap of faith every morning as I step out of wherever we were staying the night before. A few of the mornings last week I felt restlessness and questioning my purpose here. How am I growing the Kingdom? What is my purpose? Why haven’t you provided a specific ministry or opened a door to the multiple contacts we have met and had high hopes for? However, God has shown up and has provided people, places, smiles and opportunities in various ways. I just had to slow down and learn to take in the present. I had to slow my stride as I walked down the busy, bustling streets to take notice of the people around me.
I have been learning to stop and give people a few moments of my day if they greet me on the street. I am becoming more aware of seeing the needs around me. I am engaging in conversations with waiters, waitresses, store owners and sellers on the street. Making eye contact with people and smiling at others makes a world of a difference when going about your day. What cool stories I have heard, places I have seen and discovered, and all the cool things I have learned from slowing down in life and enjoying God’s creation around me. God keeps reminding me it’s not the efficiency of how I get things done or how perfect my plans are laid out but the relationships, connections and lessons I learn along the way.
A glimpse of what this fresh mindset as lead to:
~grabbing a cup of coffee with an Atheist, middle-aged woman and spending the whole morning chatting about culture and changing her views on Christianity
~sharing a pot of Nepali tea with a young man who is an aspiring artist and seeing some of his fantastic hindu paintings
~prayer walks with a fellow British brother in Christ
~taking a “zentangles” drawing class with my new missionary gal-pals from England (6 & 8 yrs old)
~having lunch with my team and a medical student from the states studying abroad
~being invited to a Nepali, Christian wedding celebration and praying over his desires to become a missionary in his own country
~lighting up a child’s face with a gift of a banana and hand-written note
~swapping stories to pass the time on a 9-hour bus ride with YWAM missionaries
~being offered tea on the steps of a Buddhist temple
…and many more I did not think of right on the spot
A challenge from me to you: As you start your day, ask the Lord who He is going to place in your path that you can impact in whatever way they need in the moment. If it’s simply smiling at people on the street, striking up a conversation with someone in the waiting room or even picking up some trash in the parking lot. None of these acts go unnoticed when you are obeying God’s voice or prompting. The tricky thing is to listen, to slow down enough so you can see God’s love and hear how you can contribute to it.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
Fun Fact: You don’t need an international driver’s license to drive a scooter here. Not even a signature! Just pay the fee, fill it with gas and make sure to get the scooter back at the specified time or your teammate’s passport is held ransom. lol They drive on the opposite side of the road and there are no traffic laws…that we know of…you can weave through cars and have to avoid the pedestrians, street dogs, the occasional cow and many potholes.
