**Hey everyone. I have finished my first month on The World Race in India. We arrived in Nepal a couple days ago, and I am posting some things God taught me in India now because I couldn’t get enough bandwidth to get this to upload.
I am excited to be in Nepal. This is the only country on my World Race that I have been to before. As soon as we landed in Kathmandu, I felt like I was home! I will post another blog of my time in Nepal soon. God is growing me lots. Thank you for praying for me and our team!**
When we got to India I think all of us had our own definition of ministry and what it is supposed to look like. For me my definition was to have really intentional one on one time and sharing God’s Word with the people of India…not a bad definition at all. But, I went into it thinking I knew what they needed before I ever even knew them. Well needless to say, God has given me a new perspective!
It’s so easy to go on the mission field with one focus, and that can be dangerous. The WHAT was spreading God’s word and that was my one and only focus coming into India. I didn’t focus on what would be effective. Most if not all of us were ready to just DO and GIVE, but we have been receiving so much! I was putting the WHAT before the WHO.
I think I had a big misunderstanding of who these people were and the culture here. I mean yes there are lost people in India and we did get to interact with them but we also had lots of interaction with those who knew the Lord. Our ministry host and all of their helpers have been a really good example of the Lord to us. From wisdom to servanthood to hospitality to just being. God was using them to teach me!
So… I experienced my first day of college on October 25! (Whoop whoop!!) I attended two different classes at Trinity Christian Seminary- one on Hebrew language and writing and another on Asian theology. In the Asian theology class, the teacher was really interesting. He was saying that people with theology degrees come there and think they know WHAT the people there need, but they never seek to know WHO they are. He also said we need to be preaching the Gospel that’s relevant to the culture which is so true. How can you expect people to believe or trust anything you say if you don’t get to know them or build a relationship with them.
Literally all we have been doing here is building relationships to the point where it seemed as if we were never gonna start my definition of ministry. But through that God was giving me a new perspective. It’s not just about going to people with a WHAT. First we have to understand the WHO!
I am grateful for God showing me this and so much more. He knows what I need even when I don’t.
