February 28, 2018
Kingdom Hands (part five)
A-Mane English Center was our place of ministry this month. Located in a suburb of Bangkok, Thailand, this humble abode was more than a home to us this month. As we say our final goodbyes today, my stomach turns and my heart aches in a way I know from only one time before on the World Race… the day I left home in Illinois.
All exaggeration aside, the family we have here in Thailand has truly and certainly changed my life forever. From now on, I walk forward with a different perspective, a changed mindset and a renewed attitude. Our hosts, Golf and Benz, along with their very influential staff, have taught us so much about living life on mission and sacrificing each and every day to the Lord. They taught us a phrase that has stuck with me from the moment they said it and will continue to stick with me until I leave ministry and enter the gates of heaven:
Business as Mission.
Exactly as it sounds, “Business as Mission” is all about living every day from an eternal perspective. It’s choosing to ask the Lord what his will and plan is and choosing to, every morning, arise and boldly step forward in that call. As Benz says, “the mission of A-Mane is not only to go forward in teaching, but we build relationship along the way. We walk in such a way that shows Christ through everything we do.” Living life missionally is as easy as “yes” and “amen.” Golf puts it this way:“Business as Mission is using your life to serve God. You walk forward in obedience, doing whatever it is He asks of you and do so alongside Him.” It doesn’t matter if you are a teacher, a CEO or working in a cubicle, everything can be a mission for Christ. When she decided to give up everything and follow Jesus, 18 year-old Taylor thought the only way to do ministry was to earn a degree that put me inside the walls of a church. It only took one semester of college to realize the beautiful reality of recognizing every day as an opportunity to share Jesus’ love with others. “It’s everywhere you go, in everything you do,” Benz told me.
This perspective speaks to all of us. Yes, you! You who don’t think you aren’t making an impact as you get up everyday to step foot into corporate business job. Or you who are spending time and money to earn a degree at a place of higher education. Or you who are teaching snotty sixth graders in a public school. Or you who are spending hours studying the word to teach a congregation for an hour every Sunday morning. You, every single one of you, are living on mission! God is in and through it all! He has placed each of us in a specific place, at the perfect time for His work to be done. Everyday he invites us into bold submission as we ask to be lead and sacrificially plead to be used by Him. There is no such thing as not doing ministry when you walk alongside Jesus. So, essentially, living life under the “Business as Mission” mindset, is walking how our Savior, Jesus walked: intentionally, boldly, upholding a standard of excellence, offering free grace and loving by sacrificing everything.
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
Golf and Benz are the spotlight for part five of Kingdom Hands. On top of owning and running an English school in Thailand, they have four children under the age of nine and disciple many families and young adults on their staff and in the neighborhood. They are powerful missionaries. They live a life in full dedication to the Lord’s work and it is evident in everything they do. Their hearts are passionate for Jesus and what he has asked them to do. They are bold. They are faithful. They are loving. It was a blessing to learn from them and an honor to serve alongside them this month.
I had the honor of creating a few videos to show the power of the work they are doing every single day. Click the link to learn more.
If you are interested or feel called to teach in Thailand and share the Gospel with children and their families (most of which are Buddhists), please email me or reach out to A-Mane. The ministry here is growing every single day and they need all the support they can get!
