Currently I am over halfway towards raising my support! That is so exciting after two years of hard labor!!! I'm scheduled to leave January 2011 for Guinea-Bissau. However, I am under a lot of stress right now as I need to raise the rest of the financial support by the end of this month or else I cannot go. Like my mom says, leave it in the Lord's hands, though. Do your best, and let God do the rest.
Actually, I am a missionary right now. Like one of my spiritual mentors Pastor Leo (of CityFellowship Church in New York) says, “Really, all Christians are called to be missionaries, because everywhere you go you have a purpose for being there and a responsibility to share God's word with those around you, whoever they are.” He is full of nugget-sized bites of wisdom like that.
So here is a page from the 'Everyday Missionary' Handbook:
Saturday morning I was riding the bus. I had to ride the bus to complete my latest newsletter. You see, I have a computer at home, but the scanner was not working so I had to go to Fed Ex Kinko's downtown to use their scanner.
I was muttering something to myself as I was trying to edit the text of my newsletter on my lap as the bus lurched through town. I'm sure I was saying something like, “How did so many typos and spelling errors appear on this paper? I don't remember putting them there.”
Across from me two beautiful ladies sat down. They were both blonde, petite, and tall enough to be models. I noticed the young woman directly across from me with the gigantic mirror sunglasses had what looked like a Wiccan or Anarchy symbol around her neck. It was handmade, of wood and string. She had obviously spent a lot of time creating it.
I put down my missionary newsletter, and blinked very hard for a couple of minutes. I felt like I should say something to her, although at the same time I hesitated to do so. Wasn't she the type of popular girl who had been a bully to me early in life and beat me up (kicks, punches) in elementary school, wouldn't speak to me in high school, and refused to acknowledge my existence in college?
I suppose even now a part of me will always be a bit nervous to approach someone who reminds me of those unpleasant ugly duckling times in my life. I had to force myself to speak loudly enough to be heard. “Um, hello. Uh, what is that around your neck? I don't think I've ever seen that before.”
Unconsciously, I grabbed the small jade cross around my neck and held it up. I realized as I did this that I have perhaps never been so happy to wear a cross. I mean, it is yes just a symbol but it can be a very powerful one in situations like this. Silent witness.
The young lady sniffed at me as though everyone ought to know what it was. “It's a DREAMCATCHER. I made it myself.”
“Oh.” I said. “It really looks a lot like a star, for witchcraft. Or that anarchy symbol thingy. That's what I thought it was.” I kept thinking, why do I have to sound so stupid?
“NO, it's NOT,” said the young girl.
“Well, I just want you to know that a lot of people who see that would mistake it for something else.”
Not at all what I wanted to say, actually... that was a bit of a wimp-out.
“I didn't realize anybody might think that. It's not,” said the girl. “Just not,” she repeated, a little softer. Her friend stared at me with her mouth mainly open.
We rode in silence for about another ten minutes before my bus stop came up. I wondered if the young lady with the necklace was really telling me the truth. It looked like a clearly pagan symbol, not at all like the dreamcatchers I had seen before. Was she secretly playing with witchcraft or was she truly clueless about the powerful meaning of the symbol she wore so confidently? Maybe she just didn't realize the danger of toying with such things.
As I stood, I glanced over my should at the two young ladies again. “Hope you enjoy the rest of your day.” I said. I looked at the young lady with the sunglasses and the necklace again. “God bless you,” I said, slowly with calm power.
In response, she flashed a cold and fake smile, then shrugged her shoulders as if to say, 'go on, get out of here you crazy lady.' Well, maybe I am a bit crazy, but not in the way that she means. I love Jesus and I'm not afraid to be a Jesus freak.
I began to sing as I swung my arms and legs into action down the street. I really felt like our meeting was not by chance, there was a significance to it all. Why did she and her friend choose to sit near me in the front when they got on the bus? Why did I look up from my paper when I could have just kept my head buried in my notes the entire time ? I can't say whether I was successful or not, but I at least did plant a little seed in her heart. Sometimes people are not ready to receive a big truth in their lives yet. Also, sometimes people begin to walk with the dark side through small things that seem innocent at first.
I prayed for the two women as I walked to my destination. At the very least, it was an important reminder that some of the people who God places in my path – even here (in a part of the country perhaps a bit too addicted to not Christianity but empty ritualism of “Church”-ianity ) in West Michigan- do not know the Lord. We must never forget those who do not know the sweetness of our Jesus. Let's always remember those who have never had a chance to hear.
Let's Pray, send, or go to fulfill the Great Commission!!! The only other option is to be disobedient to the words of Jesus, when he told us, “Go ye therefore to EVERY NATION...”
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