This months ministry has looked a little different than usual. Our contacts were full time university students. So while they were in class we had a lot of free time to do whatever we wanted. I started calling "Make it Ministry" (I never said it out loud, now that I write it down it sounds a little cheesy). On days we didn't have anything "planned" it was really easy to loose track of time and accomplish nothing. It was nice at first being able to, for once, catch up on sleep in a bed, shower, and relax a little but after a couple days I started getting restless.
I made it a point to read in the mornings and to pray. I prayed about what the Lord had for me this month and he told me that this month my team was going to be my main ministry. Last month I did a very poor job of being present and being a servant to my teammates. In part because I was sick for a lot of the month but also because I simply had a bad attitude, a "bad-itude". I know I didn't do a perfect job this month of serving my team but I did make a conscience effort to have a positive attitude, listen, encourage, and serve. I tried to take opportunities I had to interact with locals even if it was just saying "sin chow" to everyone we passed on the street.
It reminded me a lot of what people back home ministries could look a lot like. Yesterday, at church a Filipino missionary to Cambodia named Sam spoke about missions. One thing he said that I really liked was, "Any soul without Jesus is a missions field! If you have Jesus in your heart you are a missionary." So he was basically saying if you know someone who doesn't know Jesus it is up to you to be a light to them! It's not a burden, it should be a joy! Jesus in our loves should be evident and shine through in our lives. God chooses us to do his work!
When he was preaching I couldn't help but think of my old man. If you ever need to see someone who serves the people around him, you need look no further. I remember one year Greensboro had an ice storm and a tree fell in our neighbors driveway so he put his plans on hold and helped them remove the tree from driveway. I remember growing up watching him mow our lawn and then he would just keep going and mow our next door neighbors. He is one of the most generous people I know.
How many opportunities do we have daily to spread the love and joy of Christ? Not by beating people over the head with a bible but by simply loving them. I just finished reading the book "The Christian Atheist." It's a book about people who say they are Christians but who live as if there's no God. It was a really challenging book but I would encourage everyone to read it. Towards the end he talks about what church is suppose to look like. Imagine a church or any group where people were constantly putting themselves second, going out and serving the community and each other. That's something that gets me really excited!
I'm loving my time on the race! I've been learning so much! I've been challenged, stretched, refined, broken, but I have also been encouraged, built up, changed. The longer I'm on the race the more I realize that my heart is for the people back home. I want to see my local community changed. I want to be an example in my community for what it means to serve. I want to be a part of a local church. I want to make a difference wherever I am. I want people back home to get excited about being used by Christ to change our neighborhoods, cities, states, and nation!
Can you imagine what a changed nation could do for the world? Especially if that nation just happened to be the richest nation in history? I heard a stat that said the church's tithe is around 2%. The bible calls for 10% minimum with gifts on top of that, if you're feeling generous… That same study said that if the church's tithe got up to 8% we could stop world hunger. Just sayin.
We all have an opportunity to "Do Work" for the kingdom. We just need to open our eyes and see the opportunities that Christ puts in front of us. We get to be a part of his plan! He let's us! Be encouraged! Christ in you gives you strength! The battle is won! We're just making sure as many people make it into the kingdom as possible!
