- This month has been a long one for me, and I’ve had a lot of time to sit and think. God has shown me a lot. I could write blog after blog detailing the inner workings of my faith due to all of the things that God has taught me, but instead I’m writing one summary blog. I would love to expound upon any of these things in a private conversation with anyone. Leave me a comment or email me through the ‘let’s talk some more’ link on the left side of the page. Without further ado, here’s the four major things I’ve learned in Montenegro.
- Geographically speaking… Montenegro is approximately here. (Montenegro’s in red)
- This month I’ve spent getting to know my new team, Spinning Arrow (bonus points if you can accurately identify the movie). They are from left to right: Me, Ally Tenney, Pamela Christian, Maggie Nelson, MacKenzie Hutchins, and Melissa Flores.
These five women have already taught me so much about myself. They love me really well. Also, I’ve started to pick up the guitar with their encouragement, so that’s a thing. Also, if you still want to financially contribute to the World Race check out Pamela’s page at pamelachristian.theworldrace.org! Please prayerfully consider if God wants to work through you to help her stay on the race, and she’s awesome.
- This month has redefined my definition of the word ministry. So far on the race, it’s been pretty clear.
Go to this place.
Help with this thing.
Speak about this topic.
Play this game with those people.
That hasn’t been the case this month. Here our ministry is the people of Montenegro. We’re here to love them and show them that born-again Christians aren’t some weird cult. Often this means doing listening prayer, asking God what he wants from our day, and then doing it to the best of our ability. We’ve made cookies for our neighbors, gone to the beach and picked up trash, and visited an elderly women that’s a part of the church we’re connected to this month. Ministry is showing God’s love to the people around you. It’s that simple.
- God has really been working in my heart to change how I think about evangelism. My history with personally evangelizing is a couple dare-2-share conferences in middle school. I’ve learned about evangelists in my anthropology classes. Most of what we learned were case studies of evangelists that time and again moved in, offered food and medicine with a side a salvation, condemned unique cultures that were simply different and then left the people they had changed with no infrastructure to sustain the changes they had made. Don’t get me wrong. That happens. If you don’t think it does, please go do some research with reputable sites and books.
However, that’s not all that happens. This month I’ve learned that evangelism is seeing people where they are at and doing what you can to help them see the perfect peace and love that comes along with faith in Jesus Christ. Sometimes that means telling them outright and giving the person a bible. Other times it’s a conversation and loving them well. It takes time. Personally, I don’t have any intention of “winning souls.” This is not a baseball game. You shouldn’t see people’s lives like you see stealing a base. Its about offering a chance for the person to see you can experience a love that never fails, a peace that doesn’t make sense, and life that never ends through Jesus Christ.
