Two years have passed since I signed on with my mission, NICS (Network of International Christian Schools). I've now lived in Belem, Brazil for 14 months. In this time, I've grown to absolutely love this country - its culture, language, climate, food, and of course its people. In fact, I feel more at home in this culture than I do in my own country. Despite looking drastically different in appearance to the natives here, I feel like I belong here.
However, that isn't to say that it has been easy. In contrast, it has been extremely hard. Hard to struggle to communicate in the first few months, hard to handle the humidity, hard to live so far away from my family and friends, hard to work alongside so many other missionaries, hard to adapt to living daily life in a totally different way than I'm used to, and hard to constantly be ministering and not be ministered to. Sometimes I feel that people speak of the mission field like it's some vacation or exciting adventure. While I can say that it is an adventure, it is not a "bed of roses."
However, through the challenges, God has taught me so much. He has taught me patience, perseverance, provision, and more importantly, He has taught me about passion. What do you mean?, you may be asking. What I mean is that God has revealed a lot to me about myself. Including passions He has given me and the reason He has given me these passions. I have a passion to see the orphans, the widows, the least of these reached out to. Every time I leave the school campus I see these hurting people. You can't ride the bus here without a disabled, sick, or homeless person getting on, announcing their problem, and asking for help. My heart burns to help - more than giving the person a few centavos that I have in my pocket. I want them to know that they are valued and that God loves them. In addition, I have a passion to see people discipled in their faith. I'm tired of ministries reporting on the number of people that were saved. I'd rather hear a report a year later on how many of those people are truly living for the Lord. I can't tell you how many people I've encountered that say they are a Christian, yet when I ask them what that means, they have no idea. They said a prayer one time years ago and have continued to live their lives as before. Where is the discipleship these days? Didn't Jesus say, "go and make disciples"? We are asking people to "repeat a prayer after me" and then reporting on the number of hands that were raised announcing that they said "the prayer". We pat ourselves on the back and go on with our lives, trying to rack up more numbers. Let's take our focus off the numbers, and put it on the people. We need to be training people on what it means to be a Christian and what that looks like in daily life. Wouldn't that reach more people in the long run? If we taught people how to live out their faith, to live with the purpose of glorifying God, to "let their lights shine" I believe the Gospel would spread more rapidly throughout the world.
As God has been revealing these passions within me, I've been praying for Him to guide my footsteps in ministry. My contract with the mission ends in June. I knew that I'd have to make a decision to either renew the contract or not. I started praying about this in September. On December 26th, I knew God's answer. I was not to renew the contract. These passions God has given me can't be fully lived out in the ministry I'm in currently. While I love teaching these students, my heart is bursting to do more in this country. I see the need every single time I leave the campus. Yet, I work long hours at the school teaching, tutoring, grading, and doing lesson plans. I don't have the time to fully commit to other ministries or start new ones. And I long to fulfill the passions for ministry that God has planted within me.
This decision was not an easy one. Even now as I type this, the sounds of the Amazon rains is flooding my ears and it reminds me of all I'll miss. I'll miss this country that I've come to love. Yet, in the midst of this sadness comes a deep peace about this decision. I truly believe my time here has been one step in what God desires for me to do to greater His kingdom. And like Paul greatly desired to return to the places where he ministered, I too, greatly desire to return to this country.
God continues to guide my footsteps. After a lot of praying, I've decided to take a small groups/discipleship ministry opportunity at a church called Hope Chapel in Maui, Hawaii. I will be working there as the small groups intern for a year - from August 26, 2011 - August 19, 2012. The vision of this intern program is to: "train individuals in dynamic hands-on ministry skills and nurture and develop their unique spiritual gifts and passion." My specific role will be in small groups and discipleship/spiritual formation - connecting people to ministry and the church and helping them grow spiritually. In addition, this church has a church plant in southern Brazil. The church plant has a need for someone to come and disciple people and also has a vision to open a Christian boarding school, an orphanage, and to grow crops for the poor. They already have some land to do these things, but lack the workers to help in these big projects. My hope is to be a missionary at this church after my internship in Hawaii. Although God hasn't spoken directly to me about this opportunity in southern Brazil, I do see it as an open door and will continue to pray and seek God's direction in it. I feel God's given me a call to this country and I long to minister here.
As I said, I've felt a peace about my decision to leave in June, but something happened a few weeks ago that reaffirmed it all for me. I went to church with one of my Bible Study girls. At the end of the service, during the alter call, the speaker called me to the front. Instantly I thought, "I'm already saved, why is he calling me up here...I hope he doesn't think I need to accept Christ or something." When I got to the front he had a message for me. Over the microphone he announced, "You come from a country that used to be known as a Christian country, but no longer is. God has sent you to Brazil and right now He is preparing you to go back to your country for a little while to make a difference there." It took me a little bit to actually decipher what he had said to me, but by the time I did, my friend was already in tears. She knew that I had planned on going back to the United States in June and she knew that that message was from God. God is good. When we seek His will, He will show us the direction to go.
In conclusion, I ask that you all be praying for me through all of this.
- Pray for my goodbyes - I will have to say good-bye to this city, my students, and my friends here. Saying good-bye is hard, and I've made deep, meaningful relationships here. It will be hard to leave.
-Pray for my 2 1/2 months I'll be home - that I'll be able to spend time with my family and friends that I've missed, that the transition from Brazil back to the USA be easy, and that I find time for some much needed rest.
- Pray for my finances - I will need the same amount of support in Hawaii as I have lived on here in Belem. Please prayerfully consider continuing to support me financially in this next phase of ministry.
I thank all of you for the encouragement, love, prayers, and support that you've given me. Without all of you, I couldn't be here. Thanks for letting God use you to be a part of ministry here in Belem, Brazil. I love you all dearly.
http://www.hopechapelmaui.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=110&Itemid=280
No comments:
Post a Comment