Don't worry though, I'm working on it, once I have it back I'll be gladly blogging regularly again. I haven't abandoned you guys yet.
So I got asked to do a mini sharing about my short term mission, and what better than to give you guys the first read.
The New Plymouth Mission trip was a complete first for me. I’ve never really taken part in a mission trip before & never really even travelled far away from my hometown solely for God.
To be honest, when I first heard about it, it seemed like a good opportunity to do something different for God, or even take a step further in my relationship with Him. The only obstacle was that I already had plans for what I wanted to do for my 18th birthday. But I really felt the Holy Spirit open my eyes beyond my own desires & to see God’s greater picture for my life through this experience. So with this out of the way, there was no reason not to go on this mission trip, I was pretty much like ‘why not’?
But as I’ve learnt throughout all my years with God, what I expect is never ever what He puts in front of me. As the preparations and meetings went down, it was quite evident my role wouldn’t be what I had come expected to do. Due to us mainly focusing on the Chinese community there, I wasn’t going to be able to do as much as the people that were more fluent in Chinese would be able to do.
But through this, it really reminded me that I hadn’t hit a dead end. Once we decide to completely give into God’s will & we’re in the unknown, things most likely won’t be ideal. But God is still there with us every step of the way, showing where to go, & revealing to us what His purpose for us is.
So New Plymouth. It’s probably the first time I’ve consciously been there, the actual first time being when I was too young to enjoy it. Compared to Auckland, it’s super small, but far from a bad way. I actually quite liked it, cause even though it was a lot smaller, it had all the necessities, stores, cinemas, schools, universities, churches, you name it. But one huge difference, & one of the reasons we were targeting this place, is that there are far less Asian people there, and even less Christians in the Asian community. So it’s really somewhere quite fit for us to expose the gospel to.
So when I first signed up, honestly, I was pretty pumped to share the gospel to whoever God put in front of me, to really let Him use me as a medium to others. That was what my picture of me on the mission trip was. But in reality, it didn’t quite happen like that. It’s amazing, cause before, when I thought of sharing the gospel, that’s what I pictured, but from the trip, I learnt that there is so much more to it.
So on the first day, we were assigned to visit some shops that known Asians owned and hand out flyers for an evangelical evening we were preparing, & if given the opportunity, to spread the gospel.
Standing out on the street in public that day actually felt a bit different to when I’m normally walking down a street in public. Which led me to realize that it’s quite unfortunate. Why would standing out in public on a mission trip and standing out in public any other time feel different?
It really helped me come to realize that wherever I am, whatever I am doing, I should always be standing there for God. Whether I’m on a mission trip handing out flyers, or I’m walking through a mall window-shopping, I represent the one true God.
One of the really enjoyable things from the trip was being able to bond with people from the other congregations of the church, & even just people within our this congregation I don’t usually talk to. It widens one’s perspective, as we were able to openly share with each other no matter our culture or age. That was definitely one of my highlights, as it’s not very common for us, say, to go down to the Cantonese congregation after service and talk with the brothers and sisters there.
So the evangelical event we were holding on the third day. The turnout was actually quite amazing, all thanks to God. I was also able to find some people that spoke English, so it was just great, I wouldn’t have to be afraid of sitting in a corner for the rest of the night. I’m pretty antisocial and have trouble talking to my own friends, so that night, it was all credits to God that I was able approach a stranger and start a conversation with them.
I was at the back doing the AV that night, and I practically got a really good view of what was going on. Even though I pretty much didn’t understand a word the whole night, it just really touched me to see so many people who were willing to leave their homes that night, to sit there, & give God a chance to touch their hearts. It really is quite a beautiful sight.
One of the most important things about evangelism I’ve learnt from this trip is just the fact that it starts with building relationships. It isn’t all about going out there and throwing out the gospel as much as we can, but so importantly, we can just be an expression of God’s love for other people. To love them for who they are just like Christ did for us. And to show them that no matter how far they may have fallen, they are free to pick themselves up and start again.
All in all, for me personally, the first step to evangelism is just being happy. Being able to smile joyfully no matter what the circumstances is such a great testimony to how Christ taken us from our turmoil & given us an eternal joy. Being able to carry that joy with us in the form of a smile everywhere we are can reach so far and wide.
Godbless~
Smile - Kutless
That's so awesome! Wish I could've seen that, must've lifted a lot of spirits :D
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