This and That
I like a clean house. I wouldn’t say I like cleaning, but I do like the end result. I do have some funny habits when it comes to cleaning though. I’ve been compared to a “tornado”… I guess because I’m all over the place picking things up, dusting, sweeping, folding, and all at the same time! Even though it may seem “tornado-like” and I’m doing this and that, in the end, the house is clean.
That’s kind of a picture of my past few weeks in the CT office. I’ve been doing many different tasks to fulfill one specific purpose, and although it’s a process the end result is the greatest reward we as believers will ever receive. Let me explain…
Two weekends ago, I was able to attend the Spring 2012 BASIC Conference. BASIC is a college ministry also based here in Lima, NY. They hosted this event where University Students from all over NY gather together to worship, attend workshops and listen to powerful speakers. I was there with a team of CT members to recruit students who would be interested in doing missions in Asia. We were able to receive 35 “learn more” cards from that weekend and since then a handful of those have applied to go to Asia!
That’s a whole praise in itself… April Mini Camp is happening next weekend! Mini Camp is a time when everyone who has applied to go to Asia in August will come to Lima, meet one another, fellowship, learn more about our mission and vision, and get a jump start on raising support. Well the praise is, we’ve been praying for 20-25 new laborers, and just in the last two weeks we have a total of 21! This is a huge miracle because we started with only 7 who applied throughout the last 6 months. God has perfect timing! We’re still believing for a total of 25 new laborers, so please be praying for 4 more. It’s going to happen!
In other news, our team that is already in Asia has seen so much fruit this year. There have been over 100 salvations in the past 8 months!! Can you believe that? Not only are these people accepting Christ, the locals are sharing with their friends as well, and those friends are getting saved! The Good News is spreading in Asia!
Lastly, my specific focus of being part of the Missionary Care Team has still been developing, but we’ve implemented so many new things that will help CT members in the long run. One challenging area is the many transitions CT members go through, and I definitely know this from experience. For example, they can experience hardships in coming back to the states, starting a new role, or relationship changes. As a result, one project I helped create is a transition packet. This packet is made up of documents that address re-entry for a missionary as well as ongoing care if they move on from CT. Although it’s behind-the-scenes work, it’s going to make a huge difference in our members who are out there on the frontlines.
Even though I’ve put my hands to many different tasks, God keeps reminding me it’s for the reward of His Kingdom. As I continue to labor, I pray for compassion each day for the missionaries I’m caring for, as well as the people they are caring for — the locals in Asia. As a result, I’ve been so enamored by Jesus and how He ministers to the lost in order for them to know God.
Will you pray with me? Pray for the same compassion and burden Jesus has, and may that compel us to love and share His good news.