My purpose in sharing this with people back home is to communicate a little of the realities and difficulties that people face doing mission work overseas.
The past two months in Thailand and Albania have been all about children’s ministry for my team.
In Thailand we came across the challenge in figuring out how to explain Jesus, the Gospel, and our skit of the paralytic man to a room of 40 students ages 5-14.
In Thailand, Asia in general, and other parts of the world, there are so many factors stacked against Christians bringing the Gospel message.
First, just like in America, children have a very limited worldview and experience. The way you communicate has to be limited and different than the way you communicate the Gospel to an adult.
Second, the language barrier. This is something we don’t have in America, typically. There are things you want to communicate and emphasize that your translator might skip over or not be able to transfer the same way because of the differences in language. I personally had to let go of the desire to control the situation and choose to trust God and our translator. The Holy Spirit will move the way He wants no matter what we say. We just have to be willing to speak and let God do what He does best.
Third, and the biggest of all, are the religious and cultural barriers to cross. We have to understand the culture and how religion influences the country we’re in. Religion is a huge part of a country’s history and has an incredible influence on a country’s culture especially in Asia. You can’t knock down those traditions and beliefs in a 30 minute lesson from the Bible.
I felt like David looking up at the giant, Goliath, but without a slingshot and stone. I felt helpless; that my efforts were insignificant.
I noticed myself becoming pretty pessimistic being in the midst of the religion giants of Asia: Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism. I felt like it was an impossible task to bring Jesus and the Gospel into a culture deep into other religions.
Some of the people who do hear about Jesus view Him as just another god and add Him to the long list of gods they worship. Or they only view Jesus as a god to go to when they want healing because that’s how the “white missionaries” showed God’s power was through the power of prayer and supernatural healing, but the part about Jesus being their Savior and one true God didn’t stick.
But in my hopelessness, the truth that my team and people back home spoke into me reminded me to keep fighting. I forgot I had a stone and slingshot in my hand. Something that looks small and ineffective ended up killing the giant. When I felt like my efforts of sharing the Gospel to children were being met with disinterest, misinterpretation, or disbelief, I was forgetting that it ultimately isn’t about my effectiveness; its about my obedience.
Romans 10:13-15 says: “for ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'”
Oh yeah! The whole point of me going on this mission trip! To be obedient to what God called me to do: to share the good news so that people who otherwise would not have heard about their Savior Jesus Christ can hear it for the first time! Maybe its their third or tenth time hearing the Gospel. Maybe it will take twenty times throughout the span of twenty years for them to grasp the truth of one God who loves them and died for them. But that’s not for me to worry about.
Last month in Thailand I learned that its not about my effectiveness in missions and ministry. Its about my obedience and just showing up.
