When I started the race I imagined that I would be doing lots of childrens ministry, Timothy would be preaching every week and we would be feeding the hungry. My expectations of what I thought our ministry would look like each month were quickly shattered when our first month we were digging a hole and working on a farm. Month one was followed by Haiti, where we did construction 9 hours a day. This month my expectations were pushed to the side again. We are doing manual labor on a palm oil plantation.
Don't get me wrong I love doing manual labor, getting my hands dirty and being outside. I just didn't expect to be doing manual labor three out of four months so far. To be completely honest, manual labor is not all we have done. God has given us the opportunity to preach, teach, share the good news, play with kids and bring the hope of Christ to the Nations. However, manual labor has been the primary focus of our ministry three out of four months.
As we were fertilizing palm trees the other day (By fertilizing I mean walking through the jungle from tree to tree praying so hard not to step on a king cobra snake) I was having a little conversation with God. I was asking him if we were really making a difference. I was asking what He was trying to teach me with all this manual labor. We have been working so hard, but we haven't been knocking on doors every day asking if people knew Jesus. We haven't been feeding starving kids every day. We haven't been preaching every week like I thought we would. I knew in my heart that God placed us in every location for a reason I just couldn't understand for what reason.
The next night we attended a church service with one of the most awesome pastors I have ever met. A true hero of the faith. His name is Pastor Ezekiel. He planted a Christian church in Gua Musang about two years ago. He has around 10-12 people that attend his church. After meeting Pastor Ezekiel I instantly felt connected to him. As most of you know, my dad is a church planter so I know first hand the hard work, heartache, and dedication it takes to plant a church and stay committed to the call. He has such a heart for Gua Musang and to see the people there saved. He wants them to know Jesus more than anything.
We hosted a worship night at his church that was incredible. During the worship night, Pastor Ezekiel stood up and said that he had a word from the Lord for someone. He said that the Lord wanted us to know that we were here for a reason. Pastor Ezekiel said, “He has called you to do what you are doing. You may think what you are doing is small and doesn't matter but it matters to God. Even if you are doing something so small as working on a palm oil plantation. Everything you do for the kingdom is planting a seed for a harvest that will come. It's all part of God's plan. If you weren't doing the small tasks like planting seeds that God has called you to do then there would be no harvest.”
He continued to say that any praise and worhsip or prayer meeting we attend is fighting the enemy. Malaysia is a closed country and Gua Musang is mostly Muslim. Five times a day the Muslims gather for prayer. During this prayer time they curse “people of the book,” which are Christians. Every time we bring light into the town we are releasing positive light into the atmosphere.
I think I sat there with my mouth wide open for ten minutes. The Lord knew exactly what I needed to hear and He used Pastor Ezekiel to get the message to me. I'm so thankful that God has called us to manual labor. Honestly, I'm thankful for anything the Lord has us doing because I know anything we do is part of His plan. Work you do for the Kingdom is never done in vain. Any seed that is planted for the Kingdom will eventually reap a harvest. Please believe, nothing you do for God is insignificant.
Pastor Ezekiel
My new role as a farmer
