Ministry on the World Race is never really what one expects. In Costa Rica, it was using a pickaxe to build a soccer field at a community park. In Thailand, it was hauling wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of dirt to build a plantain field for a self-sustaining women’s shelter. In Eswatini (formally known as Swaziland), it was taking down barbed wire fence and weeding in a garden. Each one of these ministries has brought me joy and an opportunity to be grateful to serve all over the world. However, there have been three very distinctive moments of when I truly felt like a missionary this year.
The first one was in Cambodia. I will keep the description of this “missionary moment” short and to the point. Let’s just say it involved a squatty potty and a bad batch of noodles all while listening to Khmer (the official language of Cambodia) over a loud speaker for two days straight. It was a missionary moment because I thought to myself this is definitely something I have never experienced before while serving the Lord.
The second one was in Botswana, Africa. I taught guidance and counseling classes at a Junior Secondary School which would be the equivalent to a middle school in the United States. The classrooms were all in separate buildings and sometimes there wasn’t enough classroom space for all the classes. On one specific day, there wasn’t a classroom available so my students hauled their chairs from the main assembly hall to a shaded African tree area on campus. That day’s lesson was on having purpose in life and how education played a role in that purpose. The beauty of Africa though is schools allow the guidance teachers to incorporate their faith into their lessons. That day I got to share Jesus with 40 middle schools and how our purpose in life is to be in relationship with Jesus Christ.
And finally, the third came last month in Lesotho. Our ministry in Lesotho was gathering information from elderly residents in neighboring villages for our host to complete a documentary film. While gathering this information, our host asked us to share the gospel, encourage Christ followers in their faith, and build relationships with the residents of the Lesotho villages. It was on the very first day of ministry that I experienced a “missionary moment”. We walked on average three to five miles a day to villages and due to the conservative culture in Lesotho we were required to wear knee length skirts or dresses. I was wearing my required skirt with leggings and tennis shoes while holding my water bottle in one hand and my bible in the other. I would never wear such an outfit in the United States and felt quite ridiculous. However, while I was dressed to impress, we hiked down one mountain, crossed a small stream, and were climbing up a second mountain when the feeling of being a missionary came over me. I was so thankful in that moment. I knew the days that lied ahead the Lord was going to provide me the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with someone for the first time. He was creating opportunities for us to bring the Good News to people He loved so deeply. The Lord didn’t care if I felt ridiculous in the attire I was wearing. What He cares about is that each one of us in every nation know we are loved by Him and through Jesus Christ we have been saved. I knew in that moment I was exactly where the Lord wanted me to be. Even though the mountain views were beautiful in Lesotho it was the ministry I was a part of that took my breath away. And because of each one of these missionary moments I am truly in awe of God.
Below are pictures from each country I have had a “missionary moment”.
CAMBODIA –
This is my buddy, David, from Cambodia. He does a great rendition of “The Wheels on the Bus”
Before we left Cambodia, we visited Angkor Wat – an ancient temple – at sunrise.
This is possibly the best representation of Asia – elephants, tuk tuks, and temples.
BOTSWANA –
This is the second missionary moment from the Race. I loved working with middle school aged students again!
One of my students, Richard (bottom left), and his buddies.
LESOTHO –
Justifying our outfits by saying we are sporty missionaries…
Two women we met and encouraged in their faith with the Lord during our house visits during ministry in Lesotho.
A camping trip in the forest which led to a 4:00 AM hike up the mountain for this sunrise view in Lesotho.
When we weren’t doing house visits, we helped with projects around our host’s home. This is our friend Paul who taught us how to build brick walls. But because of the language barrier he would just give us a thumbs up if our cement sloppage was acceptable.
While building a bench for our host, they said to be creative. Naturally I thought it would be a good idea to make seats for people on the bench using my very own bum as a guide. This obviously means I left a “BIG impression” on Africa.
