This month my team and I are staying on a small island in Malaysia. Instead of having a set location or ministry, we were able to pray and ask God where we should go and what He wanted us to do. He gave us a peace about coming to this specific island, and through research we found different opportunities where we could volunteer here. By the time we got to the island we didn’t know where we were staying and all of the volunteer places we reached out to didn’t have room for us. We didn’t really know what the plan was going to be, but we knew His plan was far better than our own.
About a week and a half ago we pitched our tents under a big mango tree, not knowing exactly what we’d be doing here. Besides the insanely humid air, the lizards that look like alligators, and the monkeys that steel our things, It didn’t take long for us to feel like we were exactly where we were supposed to be, and start making this island our home for the month!
This island is incredible. The water is crystal clear as we swim around looking at all the fish and sting Rey’s. The people here are super friendly and love to wave and invite you over for tea. It’s been easy for us to connect with people and have fruitful conversations with them.
Although we don’t have a set ministry, we are doing ministry throughout every day. We have built relationships with both locals and tourists and talked to them about what we are doing here and why. We’ve been able to tell them about Jesus and how much he loves them. We’ve been able to help the people here with numerous tasks, while using the specific gifts and talents the Lord has given us. Something the lord has really been teaching me this month is that ministry doesn’t have to be some elaborate planned out thing.
You see, some days ministry looks like folding napkins at a restaurant while asking the owner intentional questions and listening to her share her story. Sometimes ministry looks like walking 2.5 miles to the store for water every day and talking to the people you meet along the way. Ministry can be inviting solo tourists to grab meals with you and make them feel seen heard. And sometimes it can be something as simple as blowing bubbles with little kids and watching their eyes light up as they chase around the little transparent balls of joy!
To me this month is a preview of what every day life back home will look like. Spending my days loving on people and showing them Jesus through my actions and words. Taking risks, talking with strangers, and sharing the gospel with people the Lord puts in my path.
Bob Goff puts it beautifully in his book Love Does, “Every day God invites us on the same kind of adventure. It’s not a trip where He sends us a rigid itinerary, He simply invites us. God asks what it is He’s made us to love, what it is that captures our attention, what feeds that deep indescribable need of our souls to experience the richness of the world He made. And then, leaning over us, He whispers, “Let’s go do that together!”
If your reading this and feel the Lord calling you into deeper ministry, I want to encourage you take that step of faith! Pursue ministry in your every day life, and invite God in! Whether it’s at work, at school, or even your home, the Lord can use you to further His kingdom. Find ways that you can serve the people around you, encourage them, and show them Jesus. Start conversations, ask intentional questions, and take risks. You never know the impact it will make. Keep seeking Him and be a light in this dark world.
Joyfully His,
Liz
