Well, from Oras, which is our basecamp, we catch a sketchy little boat ride to our village. We step off the boat, and its like the red carpet. People are taking pictures on their cell phones. (Don't know why they have cell phones when there is no service). They all think I am a super model or a movie star or something. So our first task is to find the Kapitan. After we ask for a place to eat, sleep, use the CR and bathe we get settled. Normally we do a Plaza Presentation the second night we are there. That consists of a few songs, a skit that shows the Gospel, a testimony, and a presentation of the Gospel. There have normally been about 50-60 adults there. This is not counting the thousands of children running around.
After this we spend time doing Bible Studies. We walk around the village and ask families if we could teach them the Bible. When they say yes, we set up a time with them. We teach stories in the New Testament that communicate the Gospel. For example, my first story in my set is Jesus and the Samaritan woman. I teach how Jesus went out of His way to talk with her, and then offered her Living Water, or eternal life. Then I move into the Gospel and what eternal life is. Honestly, most people speak up before we even give an invitation. They verbally communicate that they want eternal life, or to follow Jesus, or a personal relationship. After this we ask if they would like to have another Bible study, to which they always reply yes. So throughout the week we continue to go back to the family, discipling them and teaching the Gospel to their family members. It is so hard to leave them like babies in the jungle at the end of the week. That is pretty much a general idea of what we do ministry wise.
Here are some recaps from my journal this past week:
6/24- Once again. Oh my goodness the Lord has shown His presence in this village. Now this is the way to start out a week. I taught the three adults about the Samaritan woman in John 4. The Lord used me to share about Living Water and eternal life. This is not even a place of pride, but a place of complete humility, at the feet of Jesus. I am astounded that He would use someone who has as many faults and weaknesses as I do. I then shared the Gospel. How we are sinful, yet God sent His only Son to take our punishment. I was just being led to different scriptures and words were coming from my mouth that were not exactly passing through my brain. After asking these people if they wanted to have a personal relationship with Jesus, they immediatly exclaimed yes. They were led in a prayer by our translator and from that moment on dedicated their lives to follow Christ. Thank you Lord for giving me the opportunity to welcome a brother and two sisters into the Kingdom of God.
6/25
The stories of people coming to the Lord are always so incredible. I am so honored that I get to have such a part in this. The dead being made alive again is such a powerful event. The Spirit of God is moving so miraculously throughout these villages.I hope that they can continue to dig into the Word and follow God in complete obedience. We should not worry about what happens next, because we took our part in the task of sharing the Gospel. Only God can convict and change lives. We are only called to spread the Word. God does not guarantee that I get to see the fruits of my labor, but for some reason He has allowed me to take part in the harvesting of souls.
6/28
I was really struggling today in the area of leadership. This was my entry: I feel like I'm doing everything wrong. Like I am being ridiculed by Satan for not being a good team leader. I could be serving better and leading my team by example in more ways. I feel like I am failing at the task at hand. During team time, it seems like no one is paying attention. And even if they are, no one is learning anything. I feel like any opinion I have is being shot down, like my words do not even matter. It's like they could really do this without me, who needs Laura? not this team. I just really need some encouragement. I am about the lead a Bible study and I just feel useless. It's like I might as well just let a translator do the whole thing. Apparently I dont know how to communicate with the people here. I dont know how to serve or lead.
After about 5 minutes of prayer I wrote this: I will however go back to Scripture, the ultimate example of servant leadership. Christ. He was nothing, and yet gave everything. He has his "team" following Him, all because he loved and served. Lord, I pray that I will be a depiction of Jesus Christ today. That people will listen to and follow me, because I listen to and follow you. I consecrate my life to Thee.
This is one day after a Bible Study. It is very interesting watching the faces of those hearing the Gospel. Some just smile, some look upset, others are just thinking and processing. You can tell the Spirit is moving in hearts. You can see their eyes being opened to who Christ really is. The RCC has lied to them their entire lives. These people are finally hearing the message that we hear everyday. The Gospel that we take for granted. They are hearing for the first time and crying out Abba Father. I have seen eyes being opened. I have seen the dead be brought to life. I have seen a life be redeemed. There is power in the name of Jesus!!
37 people! 37 people who responded to the Gospel and said they wanted to follow Christ in a personal relationship with him!!
"You know that in the end you are not really giving anything away at all. Instead you are gaining. Yes, you are abandoning everything you have, but you are also gaining more than you could have in any other way. So with joy- with joy!- you sell it all, you abandon it all. Why? Because you have found something worth losing everything for... For the sake of more than a billion people today who have yet to even hear the gospel, I want to risk it all. For the sake of twenty-six thousand children who will die today or starvation or a preventable disease, I want to risk it all. For the sake of an increasingly marginalized and relatively ineffective church in our culture, I want to risk it all. For the sake of my life, my family, and the people that surround me, I want to risk it all." - David Platt, Radical
Thank you to everyone who is praying for me. It is really your prayers that get us through this. When I am on my face crying before the Lord, your prayers get me through. When we rejoice in the many salvations, it is because of your prayers! I really could not do this without the support of you at home. For those of you who I grew up with, thank you. For those who have no idea who I am, thank you. For my family who prays and loves me, thank you.
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