“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” 1 John 5:4
Can’t believe it has already been a month since I last wrote y’all! As I’ve said repeatedly before, time is zooming by (especially this month with all the traveling) and I now stand with roughly 50 days left until I’m back home. So much has happened in these past few weeks, and in all honesty, my brain hasn’t fully worked through all of it. So, hopefully, by writing this out, I can kill two birds with one stone and figure out what all happened while also sharing all those things with y’all. As I continue to work through this, I think what I’ll do is split my thoughts into two parts, the first part being my final thoughts of the country I just left, and the second being my thoughts of the country and ministry I’m about to enter. So, with that figured out, let’s jump into it.
After 4 months of ministry, relationships, discipleship, and seeing God’s hand at work, I’m now leaving all of that behind. To relate to you all of the lessons God has taught me and has continued to work in my life over the past several months, I would have to write out quite the essay. So, instead of that path, I’ll leave you with as simple a lesson as I have found through my longest term overseas thus far. A lesson that can be boiled down to one word. Faith. As I’ve gone through this gap year I’ve taken many blind steps forward, striving to be obedient, but not knowing how God was going to use my obedience for his glory. I’ve preached sermons in front of large crowds, led youth camps and worship sessions, taught English, started ultimate frisbee in a place where frisbees don’t exist, made close friendships with people extremely different then myself, and learned much about the world and God’s heart for it. As I look back over all the things that have happened, I can easily become amazed at all the things that “I’ve” been able to accomplish. But to think that I could do all of these things on my own would be foolish and somewhat ridiculous. Who I was a year ago has drastically changed and all I can point that to is what God has been doing in my life through my faith in him. As I look back at my walk with Christ a year ago, and the lukewarmness on my side of my relationships with him, I can see very simply how God has moved in my life. He has taken me away from all the things I had faith in, put me in a place and position outside of my comfort and capabilities, and surrounded me with the truth that he can do all things through my faith in him. As I prepare to go home and work through the processing of “reverse culture shock” (which is a tough and very real thing I’ll have to work through) I know I could easily become frustrated with people like me who are comfortable with where they’re at with God and lack the passion for going to these lost people in need of the gospel. But the root of that frustration goes deeper than just getting involved in global missions. Before we begin to talk about going to the nations, we first need to talk about “going” in the first place. Many people, including myself before this trip, can easily become frustrated at the staleness of their relationship with Christ. Feeling as if they’ve reached this place where they’re now walking a very level road with small ups and sometimes bigger downs but never fully experiencing the fullness of God that the Bible talks about. Never experiencing the spirits leading and God personally working through them in a way that leaves the believer in awe. They wait like I did for God to do or say something that will change their life and bring them deeper into his love. However, God has already spoken. We just haven’t had enough faith to step forward and obey. Before this year I knew God wanted me to walk in love and share the gospel with others but, instead of stepping out and sharing that with people, I waited for the opportunity to fall into my lap. For a friend to ask a question about my joy, or a coworker to question what makes you so at peace in a situation like this? God has things ready for us, we just need to step out and partake in them. This goes for many things, including prayer, but it also points to a truth that God has put in my heart over the past few months. God sends those who are already going. And when I say going, I’m not talking explicitly about overseas work, but the action of going out and declaring/sharing Christ’s love for the world. I had never taken a step forward in faith into something that I believed I couldn’t do because I wasn’t trusting in Christ’s ability to do it in me. But, as I’ve lived overseas, I’ve been forced to step out and have been graciously blessed to see him do things in me that I could never own as my own ability. This isn’t because of some mystical missionary lifestyle, or an individual spiritual revelation. This is God’s desire for all his children. What God has shown me along with the people on my team, he is willing to show to all of those who step out in faith in him. As I’ve gone through this longer term, I’ve gotten to partake in these things that were beyond me. To pray prayers that were bigger than what I thought was plausible, and to have faith that God could do in me what I could not do on my own. And through faith, I’ve gotten to see him do amazing things. Bringing it back to the beginning, what God has shown and taught me in this past deployment is the truth that by stepping out in faith in him, through prayer and obedience in sharing his love for others, God can do amazing things both in me and through me. He deserves all the praise glory and honor, and as I head into this final month, I can’t wait to see what he does through his power and position in me.
To that end, this final month though short, seems from its description to be overflowing with potential. From beaches to mountains, remote villages to orphanages, the road ahead of me seems filled with things that I know I can’t do on my own. But, as I’ve just spoken to you, it brings me much-anticipated excitement to see God do great things in me and through me. To see people moved by the gospel, and to watch God’s hand at work as he sows the seeds of his love to those that have never heard the name of Jesus. What a gift God has given me to experience his plan for love and grace in this way. My life will never be the same and all I can do is continue to push forward as I watch God amaze me again and again and again. Let me never forget his faithfulness or the steadfastness he has shown in the work he has done this year right in front of me.
While I know I’ve focused mostly on the spiritual side of things thus far, God has also blessed me to have some very fun and exciting moments this month as well;
-Sharing the gospel with village fishermen
-Morning house church bible studies and prayer
-Coffee shop quite times and reading many gospel-centric books
-Final dinners with friends
-Fall Guy the movie (10/10)
-Savy’s B-day and graduation! woot woot!
-Final futsal and frisbee
-Performing magic tricks for a church’s youth
-Watching a Soccer game in the middle of a city intersection with people going crazy
-Billards and more billards
-Goodbye party and final farewells to unbelieving friends
-Leading our house church’s Bible study and giving/receiving final words of encouragement and thankfulness for what God has done
-Jonny getting BAPTIZED!!!
-God’s faithfulness through some immigration trouble and almost missing our flight + a rainbow
-Tokyo
-Pickleball and park picnics
-Spending time with our team and hearing how God has done incredible things through all of these amazing people
Like I said a lot has happened. As I come to my final stop of this trip before heading home, I would greatly appreciate y’all’s prayers for:
- A renewed passion for sharing the gospel
- For wisdom and humility in leading my team this month
- For God to prepare and bring hearts to himself
- For intentional time of delighting and depending upon the Lord
- For finishing well and preparing for the reverse culture shock that is to come
God has been so good and even now, when it feels like I still can’t fully process or articulate all that he has done, I can confidently say that the Lord has been so faithful and good to me. As I come to a close and share with you the final steps of this experience, I want to end with these words from a song that has been hitting my heart pretty hard this week.
What a joy it is to follow Jesus
What a gift it is to bear His name
What an honor to choose surrender
And make Him my everything
Till I write again may we step out in obedience through faith, beyond what we can do in our strength, and see God do incredible things for his glory and his praise. Till then, God bless y’all!
