27 hours by bus. 29 hours by plane. 20 hours by train. 30 minutes by boat. WE FINALLY MADE IT, FRIENDS.
The Country That Must Not Be Named.
That’s our location for the month of November. In a nation of predominantly Muslim inhabitants, the island we call home actually has a growing Hindu population.
Pitri-Paksha is an annual ancestral worship that is being practiced on the island as we speak. Various gifts (including food, incense, money, etc) are placed in a small offering basket in hopes that the souls of dead ancestors will bless them. Our team got to experience this tradition of Hindu culture first-hand, on our first day.
The organization we are partnering with on the island is C3 North Kuta. It organizes English learning groups for women & teens as well as Sunday services for the community at large. C3 North Kuta also does outreach in prisons and in public schools, the breadth of influence it has on this spiritually dark island is a beautiful thing to be a part of.
Our mantra while serving with C3 is that we are “discovering the Father and discovering people” together. For safety reasons, the language we use to describe our mission is vague and sensitive; but it is no less Spirit-driven.
Aslan is on the move here.
Equipped with jet-lagged bodies and bibles on our first night in country, we prepared to talk about Creation with a group of girls living nearby. It was our first English “discovery” group. Near the end of the group, one of the girls asked: “Where can I get one of these books? When did you get yours? Why do you have them?”
Every single one of our hearts beat a little faster in that moment.
On our first night here, a Hindu sister asked us what the Bible means to us and in so doing, we got to share with her why we believe what we believe.
It was the start of a beautiful relationship with these girls and with this family. A relationship that has fostered so much generosity and opportunity to share more of the Father’s heart with them over these past couple of weeks.
When I think about what it looks like to make disciples of all nations, I imagine it starts with questions like these. It starts with hearts earnestly seeking to know more, and as Abba promises: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV).
Please keep the people of this country in your thoughts and prayers today. A people who believe that salvation must be worked for and earned. That freedom comes as a contract deal that can be stripped away if broken. That following rituals for the sake of forgiveness is the only way.
Let’s hold on to the Truth of Abba’s promise for them as cultures intermingle and we continue to learn from each other; because in a world that is broken, there’s a crack in everything. And the cracks are how the Light gets in.
Come, let’s make disciples.
