This month for Team Change will be a little different. We don't have a ministry. Our ministry is to find ministry. We search google, ask our friends, and work hours a day on finding the Kingdom builders that get no recognition. We drink coffee, converse, and listen about the vision that God has placed in these world changers' hearts. So this month you will hear their stories. They're challenging, beautiful, and inspiring. I hope you come to love them as much as we do.
Sometimes people's stories make you look at your story and reevaluate. You look at the nouns and adjectives of your own autobiography and think, "Could it be more?"
About seven months ago, I crammed five shirts, two hoodies, a pink coat, two pairs of pants, two shorts, a tent, a sleeping bag, and my Chacos into a big backpack and set off on this wild adventure. It's been chaotic, incredibly difficult, and unbelievably beautiful. I've seen the Lord heal, restore, move, and beckon. I've been broken, weary, cradled, and amazed. But yesterday, sitting with this Nepali man, I was challenged all over again.
His name is Puran.
Our meeting began in a frenzy. Our meeting place was lost in translation as neither of us knew that there are two coffee shops with the same name on opposite ends of Kathmandu. He stood at one, I stood at the other, both insisting that we were there. After twenty minutes of looking for someone to speak Nepali with him, I finally was able to shake Puran's hand.
Everything about his face is kind. He is the kind of person that people tell everything to upon a brief introduction. His passion is conveyed in the inflections of his voice. He spoke of his home country as a man speaks of his best friend.
He told us of the civil war in Nepal, causing Christians to flee for fear of persecution. He told of the rebuilding of Nepal which is changing the history of this country with every passing day. He told of his heart to provide jobs for the men of this country and his wife's heart for educating the women. He told of the miracles God has done through his hands and how the recipients led entire villages to the Lord after experiencing God's power. He told of a one year old girl, thrown into a fire by her own father. He told of God leading them supernaturally to the hospital room with her tiny body lying in the bed. He told of the move on his heart to raise the money for her medical bills. He told of his small church, being the hands of Jesus and giving everything they had to see her recover. He told of the girl's mother coming to Jesus because of their kindness. He told of her father's heartfelt repentance and dramatic salvation. He told of their village coming to see this church that gave so much for someone they knew so little. He told of God's name being magnified because of his congregation. He told of the Gospel being lived through his life.
Puran is a humble man. He doesn't seem to understand why anyone would compliment him for simply being obedient. His ministry is wide-spread. There is a worship school. There is a farm to teach agriculture to rural villages and help them have a sustainable life. There is a restaurant employing the unemployed and giving them a chance for a life. He goes to the mountains of the unreached. Nowhere is off limits to him because nowhere is off limits to Jesus.
I tell you these things because I want to be as passionate about my home as he is about his. I want my heart to be desperate for America to know Jesus. Not simply know the Bible stories, or pray a simple prayer to get out of hell free, but genuinely and authentically know Jesus. Nepal needs Jesus. America needs Jesus. Sadly, most of Nepal has never heard of Jesus. Most of America has heard of Jesus, yet we're desensitized. As Christians, we have to look at our lives.
Is my story challenging others to know Jesus more?
Because my being on a missions trip isn't enough. Going to church isn't enough. Knowing Scripture isn't enough. They're added bonuses. But do I know Jesus? Do I want Him for who He is and not simply for what He can do? Do I want His face more than I want His healing/emotional highs/provision? A quick indicator is how desperate I am to see His Kingdom spread.
So, let's do this together. Let's be Kingdom builders exactly where we are. Let's walk in courage and boldness, proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ together. Better yet, let's be like Jesus. Let's be compassionate, giving people ready to go wherever He takes us. Let's draw people in with grace and affection. Let's read the Word with an urgency to live the Word.
Puran has decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back.
And I have too.
Will you join me?
