Redefining Ministry

// I n d o n e s i a //

That line that goes down the middle of the street is to keep you on your side of the road…. zero comprehension there. But it’s okay, it’s beautiful mad chaos. I’ll whip in front of this car so I can get down that alleyway and it’s okay because I flashed my lights to tell you I was cutting you off. BEEP BEEP motor bike move to the side please. How does this work?! If Americans abandoned all of the traffic laws most of us would be dead but it works here.

Here is where I apologize but don’t. To all of my friends who are laughing because I have a death grip in their car. I will still have a death grip in your car. You are crazy. The Indonesians are all on the same page, you are not. You must stop trusting the other drivers so much. I love you.

This foreign chatter is so loud but their spirits are so gentle and kind. Mad loud chaos in a beautiful place.

By beautiful I don’t mean the tropics. This isn’t Bali. The streets are filthy, rats live with us, roaches come out at night and in some places you go to the bathroom, shower, and do dishes in the same 5×5 but it works and it’s beautiful. Simple is beautiful. The floors are the cleanest you will ever see, leave your shoes at the door always. So no shoes in the squatty potty. Oh no mom is gritting her teeth. Barefeet, beautiful. And the color! Holy cow the colors. The head scarves and vast green rice patty fields and rich green tea farms! The flowers and the scraps of different color metal that make up the buildings and awnings and roofs. But really, it’s beautiful. Take off your glasses if you are looking for beauty in perfection because you won’t. Beauty is in trash and beauty is in the love of generosity here.

The little kiddos think we are famous so they are afraid of us but the teenagers giggle with their hands over their mouths. If you say “selfie?” they screech with joy and fumble with their phone to turn the camera on. Yes everyone has a phone. Yes they think we are famous. Then again… we are. Yeah sure sometimes we are the first white faces they have ever seen but we are also the face of Jesus, right in front of them. They just don’t know how famous. So yes- selfie. 🙂
Ministry looked different each day let alone each week because we have made so many lovely connections but our work and home for the month was in a school with over 300 beautiful muslim kids that only had to pay a dollar a month to be there. I say work because we realized quickly we would have little impact on the kids, it wasn’t exactly our ministry if we are honest. We learned quickly that the teachers and contacts would teach us far more than we could teach the kids and we were there to encourage and love them well.

Redefining Ministry

One girl in particular whose name I want to protect showed us how we will be used this year. What ministry really looks like. SPOILER ALERT its not building churches, painting murals, or teaching English. This amazing women is one of the teachers and she slept on the floor of the school with us each night, improved her English, loved us like crazy and witnessed my team live in such close community for the first month, worshiping together,eating together, sleeping together the whole bit. When we got there she was full of joy but tired. We quickly got to find out why. She is the light of the city. The epitome of how I want to live once I am settled somewhere wherever that will be. She has several homeless families she spends time with weekly, she LOVES the Fathers children, she has built relationships with the kids parents, she stops to pray for everyone and I mean everyone. Situations don’t dictate her ability to obey the spirit and living in the school with her changed my life. How many times have I walked by a stranger and felt the spirit in my blood and kept walking because of who I was with (embarrassing), where I was (don’t I have the Fathers protection??) or what if I heard wrong (well then find out if you heard right Kate!) or I can’t heal that dude (the same spirit that dwells in Him also dwells in you! 1 cor 12:4 Ye of little faith.) She cries every single time she prays, she loves the Father with her entire being, she impacts more lives than she knows, she is never settled, she is joy, she is the face of Jesus and she was tired.

This is ministry. Inviting people into your life and filling them up with your love. Sometimes ministry looks like sitting with people in their pain or exhaustion. Sometimes Jesus just went to someone’s house to eat and love on them. So that’s what we did. We invited her in. Our hosts are the people in this for the long haul. We weren’t there to convert Muslims we were there to feed the souls of our hosts. Encourage them, pray with them, refuel their lamp and love them like crazy so that when we left their flame could live on that much longer and that much brighter. It was redefining ministry for most of us. It wasn’t teaching or rebuilding or healthcare … or was it. We rebuilt foundations and left healthier spirits.

Our last few days in the city she shared with us that when we came something in her heart changed, she felt whole, she experienced love in a kingdom size way and she was encouraged.

Doing life with people is ministry.

Then we learned to receive like Jesus did. Ministry was redefined some more. Sometimes Jesus just sat with people and that was cool. The Muslim culture is the most generous I have ever encountered. We were invited to be in a Muslim couples wedding… could you imagine inviting 8 Muslim strangers to be in your wedding? You can’t even imagine paying for one more plate. When we went to someone’s home no matter the wealth or size container they lived in a plate of something will find its way in front of you. Yes, “something”. Ugh we love casava!!! Then another plate then another plate and another and another and another and then “lets go to dinner!” “If you haven’t eaten your rice you haven’t eaten! More, more you must try”. Sounds crazy but that was one of the toughest parts of the month! No not just the painful food babies but the receiving. How can I bless you friend if you don’t stop giving!? Oh… by receiving we are giving. That was a tough one to swallow for some of us go-ers and do-ers. 

The truth about Islam.

I came into this thing knowing that not all Muslims are terrorists, that some are wonderful and many actually love Christians. The reality is, non are terrorists. Not some. The Muslims here say “Isis is terrorism they are not Muslim”. Woah.  Zero affiliation. Yes, I asked and it was okay. They love talking about there culture and faith… Until you ask them what their 5 daily Arabic prayers translate to. Not all Muslims actually know the translation of the Arabic prayers they are praying. Woah right!? In fact they believe in Isa Al Mase (Jesus in Arabic) they just don’t think He is the son of God, only a great profit. Funny thing is, Isa Al Mase a translates to Jesus the Messiah. Few know that! So when we ask if we can pray in the name of Isa Al Mase and they say yes they actually experience His love when we pray for them. Some Muslims jump at the opportunity to hear more about Isa Al Mase and others will shut off immediately. When people ask we don’t call ourselves Christians.  Instead we are followers of “Isa Al Mase” (Followers of Jesus). Which honestly. I will use for the rest of my life. The Muslims are lovely. So lovely. Islam sucks. Okay here is some heavy heavy. Muslims are not out to kill but in Islam it is not a sin to kill an infidel. This is where our hearts go heavy. An infidel is when a Muslim converts to a Christian. Conversion goes so far deeper then shun from your family and all you have known. Often times it is complete abandonment. It is illegal to pray with someone about leaving Muhammad for Jesus and you must always ask if you can pray for someone. Without permission you can be put in jail, jeopardize a ministry or in our case – deported. Womp womp haha whatever we will go to the next country but our contacts there, you know the ones that have given their lives to Kingdom building in these countries, they are super heros. 

Each day this month was a blog, the Father blew my mind immeasurably more than I ever expected. Each time I sat down to write I struggled with not being able to take you on every adventure. Do I post about yesterday?? Today?? What part of today?? !#@$%!%@$!# In fact this one didn’t even take you on an adventure! Going into this next month I pray for the words so that I can take you along with me. Discernment to hear the story the HE wants me to share. I’d love to answer questions if not too broad so hit me!!!

I will be posting a blog about this wedding you keep hearing about and our debrief in Bali tomorrow! Here’s to month 2 in Thailand/and a place we cant say yet!!!

Continue to drench us in prayer! Most importantly that my team continues to love each other well. Prayers for discernment, opportunity, that we hear His voice above any other so that we never miss a chance to love someone, HEALTH, safety and quality rest when it is available. 

I wish I could put into words how my heart has been transformed this month, maybe prayers that I can find those words 🙂 

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