Yesterday I realized that I am down to my final three weeks in Sweden. Almost every day I hear another student saying in astonishment, "I can't believe how fast the time is going!" As one of the former speakers said, "Time is like a roll of toilet paper - the less there is the faster it goes!" And it struck me if I'm always living for tomorrow I will never live for today. That's something Yahweh has been teaching me - the power of contentment.
In two days I'll be leaving for a five day mission trip in a city called Göteborg. I'll be teaching english and helping lead a youth group with a team of other students. It is neat that we have this opportunity to reach out to the Swedish community, but because it is mandatory I'm struggling with viewing it as a homework assignment and my enthusiasm level isn't very high. I've prayed again and again that God would set me on fire for this, but I'm really battling with not wanting to go. Last night the principal said something that really stood out to me. He said, "My prayer is that at some time during this trip you would become completely and totally exhausted. My prayer is that you would come to the end of yourself - and that in that time you would invite God into the situation." He also said that we shouldn't view this mission trip as something that is seperate from the rest of our lives - we should view it as a continuation of what is already going on in our lives. So when we come back we won't be thinking, "Well, that was a fun trip, now back to normal life..." It's all a flowing continuation of our lives and the work of Yahweh. This help me put things in perspective and even though I'm not enthusiastic yet, I have the want to serve my Lord out of love and obedience.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Preparing for Bosnia
I will be going to Bosnia with about a dozen other students to serve in the city of Gorazde. Bosnia went through four years of war in the 90s to gain their independence and they have been left in a state of devastation in poverty. Unemployment runs around 70% to 75%.
We will be serving through the ministry of CrossWorld by distributing food and basic supplies to the poor. This will be done in the form of house visits. I have been told that in Bosnia, relationships are extremely important. It is not necessary to call before stopping by to see someone and going out for coffee (even with someone you’ve only just met) is normal. It is during these house visits that we will be able to build relationships with the people and share our faith.
While Bosnia is a Muslim culture, it has become more of an identity than a personal conviction. We’ve been told that in private they will be very curious about our faith and that we may answer their questions, but in public they will be very closed to it due to peer pressure and fear of what others might think.
We are supposed to call ourselves “believers” rather than “Christians” because during the war many atrocities were committed in the name of Christ. I have heard horrific stories of rape and murder done by supposed “Christians”. It is understandable that there would be a negative feeling towards anyone under that label.
This will be my first time in a Muslim culture and I’m very excited, but at the same time a bit nervous because there are so many customs and cultural differences and I’m afraid of accidentally offending people. Here are some examples:
• Cross-breezes are thought to cause illness. So airing out a room is a no-no.
• Women shouldn’t sit on concrete because it is thought to cause infertility.
• Cold drinks, ice cream, and cold feet are believed to cause illness.
While I am tempted to laugh at these, I have to remember that there are many ridiculous customs in my own home country. Since being here at school and having German room mates I have learned to see things (such as windows, locked doors, and flippant greetings) through a different paradigm.
I have a few specific prayer requests for my team and me:
o Unification of our team. (Pray that Satan would not succeed in destroying our fellowship while on the mission field – he will try)
o Health (a lot of sickness is going around here at school)
o Open doors for the gospel to be shared
o Support (most of us haven’t reached our financial goal yet. The cost of travel plus the missions trip is about 600 EUR, which comes out to about $800)
There is power in prayer because we serve a powerful God. I’m excited to see what He will do!
We will be serving through the ministry of CrossWorld by distributing food and basic supplies to the poor. This will be done in the form of house visits. I have been told that in Bosnia, relationships are extremely important. It is not necessary to call before stopping by to see someone and going out for coffee (even with someone you’ve only just met) is normal. It is during these house visits that we will be able to build relationships with the people and share our faith.
While Bosnia is a Muslim culture, it has become more of an identity than a personal conviction. We’ve been told that in private they will be very curious about our faith and that we may answer their questions, but in public they will be very closed to it due to peer pressure and fear of what others might think.
We are supposed to call ourselves “believers” rather than “Christians” because during the war many atrocities were committed in the name of Christ. I have heard horrific stories of rape and murder done by supposed “Christians”. It is understandable that there would be a negative feeling towards anyone under that label.
This will be my first time in a Muslim culture and I’m very excited, but at the same time a bit nervous because there are so many customs and cultural differences and I’m afraid of accidentally offending people. Here are some examples:
• Cross-breezes are thought to cause illness. So airing out a room is a no-no.
• Women shouldn’t sit on concrete because it is thought to cause infertility.
• Cold drinks, ice cream, and cold feet are believed to cause illness.
While I am tempted to laugh at these, I have to remember that there are many ridiculous customs in my own home country. Since being here at school and having German room mates I have learned to see things (such as windows, locked doors, and flippant greetings) through a different paradigm.
I have a few specific prayer requests for my team and me:
o Unification of our team. (Pray that Satan would not succeed in destroying our fellowship while on the mission field – he will try)
o Health (a lot of sickness is going around here at school)
o Open doors for the gospel to be shared
o Support (most of us haven’t reached our financial goal yet. The cost of travel plus the missions trip is about 600 EUR, which comes out to about $800)
There is power in prayer because we serve a powerful God. I’m excited to see what He will do!
Trust
Several months ago a missionary in Bosnia came to visit our school in Sweden. He presented a mission opportunity to us students, showed us pictures, talked about his experiences, and shared his testimony. I was very intrigued, but at first I did not feel at all inclined to go. I was telling my friends that I didn't feel "called". But as time went on there was something growing inside of me that was nudging and bothering me.
At first I didn't know what it was, but then is donned on me. Part of the reason I didn't want to go was because of money. It had never occurred to me before that I didn’t trust Yahweh with my money, but it was true. Even though He has never failed to provide for my every need, I struggle in trusting Him with my money. It was at that point, for two reasons, that I decided to go to Bosnia:
1) Yahweh has called us to reach out to orphans, widows, and those less fortunate than we are. I have the desire to serve others and to share what Yahweh has done in my life.
2) I want to trust my Lord, not just in theory, but in practice. I trust that He will provide me with everything that He sees fit to give me.
At first I didn't know what it was, but then is donned on me. Part of the reason I didn't want to go was because of money. It had never occurred to me before that I didn’t trust Yahweh with my money, but it was true. Even though He has never failed to provide for my every need, I struggle in trusting Him with my money. It was at that point, for two reasons, that I decided to go to Bosnia:
1) Yahweh has called us to reach out to orphans, widows, and those less fortunate than we are. I have the desire to serve others and to share what Yahweh has done in my life.
2) I want to trust my Lord, not just in theory, but in practice. I trust that He will provide me with everything that He sees fit to give me.
First Post
The purpose of this blog is to keep a public record of mission trips that I attend. I want to keep a record for myself, and I also want to keep friends and family updated.
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