So if you remember from my previous blog I mentioned that I would be going to a village and doing house visits, evangelism, and praying for people. I was very excited to go as that type of ministry is one of my favorites and I hinted at blogging about it in the future. Well, here it is.
It was 7:30am when we got picked up by the tuk-tuk to take us to the village that was an hour away. After making a pit stop at a house to do some prayer and worship, we set off for the day. Two of my teammates and I went along with four people from the church we were partnering with. I was excited for the day and for all that God was going to do, but anxiousness and nervousness were also battling with me. Whenever I set out to tell someone about Jesus or encourage a fellow believer, I struggle with fear. Fear of what people may think of me. Fear of God not giving me the words to say. Fear of being inadequate to do His work.
We arrived at the village and went to the chief’s house. The village was a lot different than the more developed Siem Reap where my team has been spending much of its time. Wooden houses in the midst of miles of rice fields are raised up because of flooding during the rainy season. Families line the lone dirt road as they fish in the flooded fields, looking for dinner. There’s a family-owned shop or two, but otherwise families either sustain themselves or have to travel outside the village for supplies. Foreigners are nowhere to be seen, unlike touristy Siem Reap.
The village is predominantly Buddhist, but there are a handful of believers (including the chief) who meet together weekly. We were still waiting for everyone to gather when we arrived, so we sat at their table and chatted with two brothers who had made the trip with us, while the others prepared lunch. They are a hilarious pair and I enjoy hearing their jokes and stories that they willingly share. But what I enjoy even more is seeing their passion for the gospel and for all to know the saving power of Jesus Christ. It just seeps out of them.
We proceeded to eat lunch, which consisted of rice (the universal food) and whole fish they had just caught in the flooded field. This is the typical meal here and it was amusing to see how they were unhesitant in eating the fish (heads, fins, bones, and all) as we picked around the bones and ate only the parts we were accustomed to. It was a fun time of fellowship and a neat way to become more immersed in their lifestyle.
Afterwards, we gathered together and had a mini church-like service. We sang some songs, shared testimonies of what God has done in our lives, and spent some time in prayer. Then one of the brothers turned to us and asked us which one would be giving the word. After looking confusingly at each other, he continued to me saying that he told me about giving a word. Yea, but that was like 2 minutes ago. Fortunately, God placed something on my heart to share with them.
I shared with them my struggle this morning about being nervous for what God was going to call me to do. I believe the gospel is the best news anyone could ever hear and I love to tell people about it, but I also care a lot about how people will receive me and what they will think of me. And if either of those is in a negative way, then my desire to share the gospel shrinks and I become timid. But, as I had read that morning, God has not given me a spirit of timidity, but one of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Tim. 1:7) The gospel should never be something that I should shrink back from. If I truly believe in what the gospel is and the power that it possesses, then nothing in this world should make me ashamed of it. (Rom. 1:16) And so my prayer for them as well as myself was that we would be a people that boldly live out our faith and let the light of Christ shine brightly through us.
It was cool to see God show up in that moment when we were kind of put on the spot. My other 2 teammates each shared a word as well and it was awesome to see how God had put similar themes on our hearts. We didn’t plan anything, but God still gave us the words to speak and still used it to encourage the people of that village.
But God wasn’t done with us yet. After saying our good-byes, we continued on to another village about 10 minutes away. The church had already begun to plant seeds there and we wanted to continue to water them and plant new seeds as there are very few Christians. We set up camp at a house of a family of believers and then ventured into the neighboring houses to pray for people at tell them about Jesus.
We heard of this elderly woman who was in need of healing in her legs, as it was painful for her to walk and move around. The church had visited her house in the past so we decided to meet her again and encourage her and pray for her. After walking through knee-high flooding, we made it to her home. Quite a number of people from neighboring houses gathered there during our stay.
To make a long story short, our stay consisted of telling the woman and her husband about Jesus, listening to another woman’s story about her recent responsibility of caring for her grandson as the parents left him and ran away, praying for the child, seeing God take away the pain in the elderly woman’s legs, and praying with her to receive Christ! Now it’s hard for me to be sure of all God did in her heart because 1) only God knows a person’s heart and 2) I don’t speak the language so I’m not sure how the conversation was going, but I do know that God was there and His Spirit was at work and all I’m left to do is just trust that His purposes were being accomplished. I’m just called to bring the message; God’s the one that lets it take root and grow.
So yea, overall it was an amazing day! As I look back on all the memories I’ve made this Race, there are some days that just stand out more than the others. And I think this day ranks up there with the best. (I’m gonna say in my Top 3) It was just another reminder of how powerful and glorious the gospel is and how gracious God is in using us to bring it to a fallen world. Praise God!
