Rest in Reliance

”For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.“
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭86‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

While the beginning of this new week has been spent primarily in recovering rest, the last week and a half has been a whirlwind of events. From witnessing demonic activity to having an awesome turnout for ultimate frisbee, God has continued to show me his faithfulness and power. I will admit this week has been slightly frustrating because of the comparative productiveness of last week. But God is continuing to show me the importance of rest and that through trusting in prayer, he can accomplish much without my hands in it. As I dive into the past two weeks, I’ll split my focus on the short-term trip we went on recently, and then will unpack all the ministry events and work God has done through them.

Firstly, the trip. We left shortly after my last post, driving for a few hours, boarding an hour-long ferry, and then driving another few hours to our first destination being an isolated Christian family. As we sat in their small home barely able to fit the 6 of us that had come on the trip, I was able to share Psalm 23 with them and strived to encourage their faith. As we drove along the rocky dirt road, I looked over my shoulder and watched the kids of the home standing, staring after us. I was filled with a deep sadness. These people were so isolated, both from truth and from a community of comfort in Christ. I know Jesus is there ready to gather them close, but just by their attitudes and expressions I could see their weariness and frustration with their circumstances of life. They were two hours away from the closest church, without a car, and lacking in money to hire any transportation. These people needed Jesus too. They already knew of him, they just desperately needed someone to encourage them with the life-giving breath of the gospel. Would someone through Christ ever come to these people? Would God send a brother or sister in Christ to nurture and grow their faith? All I can do right now is pray that he will. We continued on to our final destination and the place we would spend the next 24 hours sharing the name of Christ with any that would listen. The village was celebrating a sacred temple’s anniversary and praising their Confucianism God’s during a weekend long ceremony. We immediately jumped into the fray and began sharing with those around us. We walked through the temple, choking on the massive amounts of incense being burned, and chatted with visitors on the points of their temple’s religion. For a bit I was caught off guard by the difference in beliefs between these individuals and by Islamic friends but, as I listened and conversed with these people, I began to share the gospel more confidently. As midnight came just around the corner we stood and watched the pinnacle of the that night’s ceremonies including a dragon dance, pounding drums, and people offering themselves up to be “God’s voice” through possession. While the enemy’s power was evident there, as shown by the spiritual shackles on these people, I found myself without fear. Instead, again I was filled with a deep anguish at the bondage presented before me. As we went out the next day and encountered similar disinterest, and responses such as “whatever you believe is good enough for you, all paths lead to God” I still found myself frustrated. I sought God in his word that afternoon, crying out to him on behalf of these people and he answered me in Psalm 86. He says in verses in 9 and 10 “All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God”. I went out filled with the spirit and trust in God’s plan and was able to share passionately with those we encountered that night. God through just a few days continued to show me his love for these people, and his call to trust him and the work that he does through the sharing of truth. I continue to lift up these people to God and pray that he will encounter them in a powerful way, displaying his love and the saving grace of the gospel.

In terms of events, because of new friends and continual follow ups, I found last week’s schedule packed. From dinners with refugees to God opening a door to visiting their home. From meeting a new English class to having three consistent game nights and additional one on one follows up. From feeling the first drops of rain to watching the sky clear just in time for a successful few hours of frisbee, God has continued to show me the power of trusting in him. And, in all of these events, one specific avenue of trust God has continued to highlight before me is the power of prayer. When I asked God for an opportunity to penetrate this refugee community God opened that door. When we sat almost an hour after we had said game night would start, still waiting for people and praying they would come God answered, and they came. When it began to rain and I lifted up a prayer of trust in God’s plan to him, the rain dispersed just in time for us to play. God has been so faithful and is continuing to show me the value and result of trusting in him. He is the heart changer and the world’s savior. As I mentioned last time trusting is an ongoing process for me, but as I do grow, I continue to see the fruit of his hands. Praise be to him who is worthy and is active in our trust.

While there is much more I could say about both of these applications and many other things in between, I’ll limit myself to summarizing the rest of my thoughts in these highlights;

-New English class friends

-First official game night (+ 2 more)!

-Wrestling Will

-Futsal

-Go carts and billiards

-A successful game of frisbee (more people)!

-Sharing on Sunday

-2 teams from Submit Church and encouragement from them

-Care package from the fam!

So thankful for all the things God has given me especially over the past few days. I love my family, and I love my brothers and sisters in Christ God has sent my way to lift up my soul. As I enter my last week and half before our half-way visa run some prayer requests for me our:

• People to surrender their lives to Christ
• Team unity
• To take initiative in sharing and not waste the time we have left
• To trust God more, especially in daily prayer
• Continued intentional time with God

As our time reaches towards the halfway point, I continue to trust God will use the work here for a greater glory in the future. That said, I don’t want to waste the time I have left here. It can become frustrating being sick for a few days, like the beginning of this week, and not being able to continue the glorifying work I have before me. But just as I have said, in this frustration, God is teaching me to trust him in all things. He will do the work, all I have to do is believe that he will do it and rely on him. Rely in the Lord this week and trust that he can do greater things. He wants to work in your life and the lives of those around you. All he asks of you is to call out to him. Call out to him.