Walking into the Race I had a limited understanding of what ministry would look like. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, all I had to go off of was the limited information from friends missions trips in the past. Nepal gave me a new perspective and appreciation that everything we do is ministry. There doesn’t need to be a set schedule or activity planned in order to say you’ve done ministry for the day. In fact, that almost takes away from the potential of what ministry can become if you just let the Spirit lead you.
Here are some of the things we have done so far this month:
Prayer Walks around the city, all have looked so different and yielding a new experience.
photo creditLo Acosta
Going into the slums to sing songs with the children, act out bible stories, and then play fun games like Simon Says with them. This was a really hard day for a bunch of us as we watched these adorable children so full of joy living in actual filth. The two little boys in the picture below I watched with tears in my eyes as they played so happily in sewage mud. Stepping off the bus to walk under the bridge into this slum you were immediately greeted with the smell of rotting sewage and yet this is what they live their lives in everyday.
photo credit Jordan King
Playing soccer with the neighborhood kids and giving them a good meal to fill their bellies. While we are circled up to eat some of us will act out another bible story. This ministry has been so cool because for a brief time language barriers, culture differences, and everything else fell away; joy being the only thing remaining building relationships to create space to share how we have this joy daily from Jesus.
photo credit dani izac
Prophetic painting is a completely new concept to me. Every morning we are given an hour of quiet time with God (amid). During one of our mornings we were given watercolors and paper and told to paint what the Holy Spirit was speaking to us. After we went into the red light district for a prayer walk and asked the Spirit who He wanted us to give our paintings to and got to have them tell us their stories and let them know they are loved. Sadly, my painting ripped as we got off the bus so I didn’t get to share it with any of the women but I found comfort in the idea that He just needed to give me a reminder that day how much strength I have.
