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Today’s first story comes from Richard who just recently returned from spreading God’s Word to the country of Myanmar:
My team and I were dropped off at about 9:00 am on the first day of our trip and told that the van would be back around 4:00 to pick us up. At that moment, all I could think was, “What on earth are we going to do for seven hours?”
So, we came up with a program, starting with laying down the groundwork and explaining man’s need for salvation, culminating to the Gospel message and opportunities for people to profess their new faith at around lunch time. Then, after lunch, we would sit down individually with those who had decided to follow Christ and go more in depth with them into what it means to be a Christian. The first surprise came just before lunch when we asked for anyone who would be interested in following Jesus to raise their hand… and the ENTIRE ROOM raised their hands! I couldn’t believe it. Before boarding the plane, I considered myself very optimistic, but at that moment, I found my levels of pessimism reaching new heights. I simply couldn’t believe that this was happening and these people were sincere.
So we stuck with the plan, finished the day and went home for the night. When we came back the next day, as the people gathered to listen to God’s Word, I prayed for clarity and understanding. Then, as I looked across the room at the people there, I saw them as ripe stalks of wheat, ready for the harvest! I don’t know why I was so cynical before, but I now saw them as God saw them. My entire paradigm, perspective and mission was changed right there and then. Throughout the day, as we shared God’s Message, I saw the expressions on the Burmese people change from hard and defensive to kind, welcoming with a desire to know more about Jesus.
There was one woman in particular who had a very stern expression in the morning. By the early afternoon, she was simply beaming – bursting with joy! The next day, she was sitting right up front, excitedly waiting to hear more. She knew that the Bible is true and wanted nothing more than to drink in God’s Word!
You know, it’s incredible to hear stories of people being transformed by God – not just the locals of the foreign lands that our teams travel to, but our team members as well. To hear of God massaging Richard’s heart to see people as God sees them is absolutely amazing. Too often we put limits on what God can do in our world, but we need to constantly remember that He rules sovereign over all!
Next, we hear from Carol as she recalls a special moment from her first missions trip to India:
18 years ago, I started working at a very low-level position in order to help make ends meet for our family. Over several years, I very slowly crept my way up the ladder and eventually became a Vice President in the company with over 400 people reporting to me in five different cities. I loved my job and I was very good at it. Unfortunately, my job became my life and my walk with God became a cliche: not perfect, just forgiven. It wasn’t a priority any more for me to have personal time with God, because I felt that He would understand my situation.
I was even asked when I would follow in my daughter’s footsteps and serve God overseas, and my response was, “When hell freezes over.”
I would support missionaries with my prayers and financially, but there was no way I was getting on a plane to spread God’s word in some foreign land.
Well, don’t ever put anything beyond God’s capability, because He works in ways far greater than we can predict or understand.
“Knowing” that my friend would also never go on a missions trip, I told my husband that the only way I would ever go is if Marlena went. You can imagine my surprise when I received the phone call from Marlena informing me that she had just signed up to go to India! (I had no way out at this point – I felt like hell indeed had frozen over)
My apprehension and fear turned to excitement, and even my daughter saw a transformation in me. I had previously been the woman who stayed in the presidential suites of the finest hotels, and now I was training to camp in India.
By the time we arrived at India, my excitement had confronted reality and I was terrified. I felt like I wasn’t prepared or trained up enough. I’ve never been in a situation like this before where I was completely dependent on God being sufficient and filling the voids where I lacked ability. I just had to be willing.
Throughout the week, I got to see God work in amazing ways, culminating in Him speaking through my own daughter to share His truth; and healing a young boy through my daughter’s hand.
You see, when we ask God to reveal His glory to us, our lives will be turned upside down. When I came home, my priorities were completely transformed and God took the place in my life that He should have always had: sovereign over all! To this day, I can’t stop talking about who God is and how badly He wants to spend eternity with each and every one of us!