Missions has always been very real to me, ever since my family and I moved to Russia for four years to do missions work. It has been almost ten years since we came back, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. The years, however, have faded those realities into the back of my memory and have only been recently extracted. The recent trip to MissionsFest Vancouver and our Perspectives in Mission class has really sharpened these memories and made me miss what it was like living in a different land, sharing the gospel with the people we lived amongst. Our class has ended now, and am I excitedly anticipating our missions trip to the Baja in Mexico. Our missions team of 14 people have been having frequent meetings over the past few days and I am getting more excited and also nervous for the trip.
Some of you have probably heard, but for those who have not, I am going on a missions trip with half the Kaléo group to Él Papalote, Mexico for 16 days from Feb 12-28. We will be partnering with
an existing Christian ministry called Northern Light Ministries who are reaching out to the many indigenous peoples who live on the Baja. Over
the time we are there, we will be doing outreach doing repair projects
such as building a stone walkway for the church, filling in potholes on the highway and renovating the community park by painting and landscaping. I am one of the four students on our team who is organizing and leading an event for the youth there, a night filled with games, music, a message and food. Our team will be sharing our testimonies of God's
grace in the church and helping at a child care center at a farm for the workers
there which we have heard is going to be very hard to see. We will also be giving out lunches at some of the schools, and distributing blankets to local homes, giving us a chance to see the real need in the community. Our team has also been asked to take a prayer walk in one of the more resistant towns to the gospel and go door-to-door collecting information about the languages they speak, enabling the missionaries to print more Bibles in their languages.
I've never been on a missions trip before except for when I was
in Russia, and I am so excited to reach out in justice and for the work
of God! I think this trip will really stretch me to see others' needs,
especially being able to communicate with them with the little Spanish I
know and building meaningful relationships. It's so exciting for me to see
believers who love the Lord in other countries and be a part of God's
work in Mexico.
Some things to pray for for this trip would be protection and safety especially as we are traveling through US and Mexico. Pray for God's hand to be over us, protecting us from injuries and sickness which would prevent us from doing his work there. Ask God to give us as students wisdom as we plan these events for the community and we would be able to make meaningful connections with the people there, even though there is the language barrier. Pray that our team would be able to stay humble as we work alongside the missionaries and Northern Light Ministries, and know that the work we are doing there is not our own, it is a part of God's bigger plan for Mexico. Ask God to open our eyes and hearts to the brokenness and poverty in Él Papalote, and we would be moved to be more involved with God's work around the world. Pray that our team would really be conscious of the culture and the barriers that separate "us westerners" from them in Mexico. Ask God to give us wisdom on how to handle difficult situations, especially since most men's perception of North American women is what they see in Hollywood movies. Pray that God would keep our focus on him and his ministry, and that through our struggles, we would be able to grow and give him praise and glory through it all.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and support for funds to come in for this trip - they did! All the extra money we are now receiving is going to the people of Él Papalote, which we are very excited about! God is good, and his ministry in the world is far from over.
"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me." - Matthew 25:40
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
A Chosen Priesthood, A Holy Nation
There is no better place, there is no better time to experience excitement, joy, unity and friendship than when believers are gathered in Christ's name for the sake of the call of missions. There is something in my heart that stirs every time that missions is mentioned, or I get together with other believers, celebrating what God has done. For the Christian, I think there is no greater joy to know that the name of Christ is being glorified around the globe. In this pluralistic and secular society, it can be very disheartening to see the blatant rejection of faith or religion around us. It is vital, then, for believers to gather together, strengthen each other, and remind ourselves of what God is accomplishing in his world.
Missions Fest in Vancouver is one of the prime examples I have seen of believers gathering together for the sake of the gospel. A city-wide conference, Missions Fest displays God's work on earth through organizations, ministries, camps, speakers and films being highlighted of God's name going into all the earth through individuals who love him. I've personally been going to Missions Fest every year for almost a decade now, and each year I am touched with the power that is in the name of Jesus. Video clips of believers singing praises in Egypt, trafficked girls being rehabilitated in Cambodia, a husband and wife praising God in their captivity in the Philippines and three teenage boys who started a tie-dyeing company to support Rwanda are only a few examples of how God is using his people. I absolutely love the goals and vision of Missions Fest, to show believers the work God is doing and to get them involved, especially because these are the same goals and vision that God has shown throughout the entire Bible. There was a general session where they told the people who had gathered that although Missions Fest had started in British Columbia, Canada, this was not the only location of Missions Fest for this year! There have been countless Missions Fests in the United States and all over Africa, especially the Congo. Next year, many more countries are planning on getting on board such as New Zealand and Brazil, just to name a few. God is really softening the hearts of believers around the world as they catch his vision for missions and the importance of reaching out to the lost. I support Missions Fest 100% and I am just so excited to be involved with it ever single year!
A huge highlight this year for me was being able to have some amazing Christian fellowship and community while I was there. Since I am from the Lower Mainland, I had the opportunity to be able to see many of my friends and family at the conference. My entire family actually came on either the Friday night or the Saturday and although they were disappointed that I was unable to spend the nights at home, they were really happy to see me! I got to give my brother a big hug and realized how tall he had gotten and how talented he was getting as he showed me a song on his iPod that he had recently recorded. I am so proud of him :) I got to sit in Tim Hortons after one of the sessions and have a long chat with my dad and my sister about how life is going here at Kaléo, and what God had placed on my heart that weekend. My sister talked to me about how life was going on at home and the struggles she was having with friends and schoolwork. I was also able to have some dinner and talk to my mom about how things were going with her, and just catch up. It was so encouraging to remember that my family was the one who introduced me to Missions Fest in the first place, and how truly blessed I am to have a family who loves God so much. I also got to catch up with a few friends while I was there, and even meet a few new friends from Capenwray Bible School and from the Make a Difference or Die Tieing Organization! It is such a blessing to see how God brings believers together in unity, no matter where they are from. The love of Christ unites us all, and we are all together for the common purpose of glorifying God's name wherever we go. Praise be to His name!
"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, "Salvation comes from our God who sits in the throne and from the Lamb!" And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God." - Revelation 7:9-11
"I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me." - John 17:23
Missions Fest in Vancouver is one of the prime examples I have seen of believers gathering together for the sake of the gospel. A city-wide conference, Missions Fest displays God's work on earth through organizations, ministries, camps, speakers and films being highlighted of God's name going into all the earth through individuals who love him. I've personally been going to Missions Fest every year for almost a decade now, and each year I am touched with the power that is in the name of Jesus. Video clips of believers singing praises in Egypt, trafficked girls being rehabilitated in Cambodia, a husband and wife praising God in their captivity in the Philippines and three teenage boys who started a tie-dyeing company to support Rwanda are only a few examples of how God is using his people. I absolutely love the goals and vision of Missions Fest, to show believers the work God is doing and to get them involved, especially because these are the same goals and vision that God has shown throughout the entire Bible. There was a general session where they told the people who had gathered that although Missions Fest had started in British Columbia, Canada, this was not the only location of Missions Fest for this year! There have been countless Missions Fests in the United States and all over Africa, especially the Congo. Next year, many more countries are planning on getting on board such as New Zealand and Brazil, just to name a few. God is really softening the hearts of believers around the world as they catch his vision for missions and the importance of reaching out to the lost. I support Missions Fest 100% and I am just so excited to be involved with it ever single year!
A huge highlight this year for me was being able to have some amazing Christian fellowship and community while I was there. Since I am from the Lower Mainland, I had the opportunity to be able to see many of my friends and family at the conference. My entire family actually came on either the Friday night or the Saturday and although they were disappointed that I was unable to spend the nights at home, they were really happy to see me! I got to give my brother a big hug and realized how tall he had gotten and how talented he was getting as he showed me a song on his iPod that he had recently recorded. I am so proud of him :) I got to sit in Tim Hortons after one of the sessions and have a long chat with my dad and my sister about how life is going here at Kaléo, and what God had placed on my heart that weekend. My sister talked to me about how life was going on at home and the struggles she was having with friends and schoolwork. I was also able to have some dinner and talk to my mom about how things were going with her, and just catch up. It was so encouraging to remember that my family was the one who introduced me to Missions Fest in the first place, and how truly blessed I am to have a family who loves God so much. I also got to catch up with a few friends while I was there, and even meet a few new friends from Capenwray Bible School and from the Make a Difference or Die Tieing Organization! It is such a blessing to see how God brings believers together in unity, no matter where they are from. The love of Christ unites us all, and we are all together for the common purpose of glorifying God's name wherever we go. Praise be to His name!
"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, "Salvation comes from our God who sits in the throne and from the Lamb!" And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God." - Revelation 7:9-11
"I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me." - John 17:23
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