India STM 2017 - God's Timing
My time here in India is coming to a close. It's always around this time where people begin wondering on all the things that COULD HAVE been done better and regrets start piling up. Usually, I am one of those people, but in His great will, God has allowed me to see the bigger picture in all of this.
Each year, one house lets us ride their camel. I always imagined sitting on the hump in the middle, but surprisingly they place you on the very back near the butt. Trust me. It's scary.
It surprises me how my QTs for each day have been aligning to the worry that is present. Have you ever read the Bible and found yourself skimming through certain parts, missing details and specifics? It's easy to go past certain wordings if there seems to be a bigger picture. I praise the Lord that today wasn't one of those days for me. As our team read over Romans 5, my eyes fixed upon one verse:
"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."
Romans 5:6 ESV
Our Father in Heaven is so perfect in every aspect. Even His timing reflects the perfection in his presence. Whether it's Christ's death or an answered prayer, God knows exactly when it is the "right time" to bring fulfillment. Today as our team slowly moved from house to house, I started pondering on the number of minutes and hours went wasted simply sitting in each house and sipping on chai tea or soda. As guests, we are always asked to rest before starting our ministry in a village. This rest, however, goes on extensively, to the point where I started counting approximately the number of people I could've prayed for or shared the gospel to in that amount of time. My time, I soon learned, does not always reflect God's. The more I spent time regretting what could have been, the more I forgot that even saving a single soul is worth being joyous for. My pastor shared before I left that the heavens rejoice even when one child returns to the kingdom of God. Then imagine how excited the angels and our Father is when hundreds of lost sons and daughters are found. I know the Lord is working through every brother and sister I have met and once I have delivered the message, it is through God's timing that these seeds grow.
Maybe this is why people become full time missionaries. Knowing that my short term mission is coming to an end, I feel a sorrow for not being able to witness the growth of many new Christians I have encountered this past week. If I could stay simply just one more year, I'd most definitely see a spiritual rebirth and awakening throughout the villages the Lord has embraced. It's bitter sweet knowing that there will be transformation, but I won't be here to witness it.
The last house our team stopped by today was filled with believers, truly a rare sighting. Within that house was a family of four who have all promised the Lord to serve in ministry forever. This family, having lived in a well-off city, let go of all they had in possession and moved to Hanumanghar to spread the gospel full-time. One STM has already drained me spiritually and physically, but to see this entire family desire a life-long service to God's ministry was humbling and Christ-reflecting. I asked the daughter of this family, Sharon, what influenced the sudden move. She simply said, "The truth of Jesus must be made known." The difficulty in evangelizing in India is that many accept Christ as a God, but not as the ONLY God. Including Jesus, many people in India hold onto millions of other gods. Although reaching out to the UPGs is a must, sharpening new believers is just as, if not more, rewarding. There is always that hope that if one plant grows, then others may follow. I pray that as new believers come in boldness before the throne, that the Lord may provide wisdom through the gospel and opportunity for evangelism even in the suffering and persecution.
A glimpse of worship in India
Before I sign off, I have a couple new prayer requests:
1) I noticed during my stay here that the number of police have multiplied since coming last year. Pray for protection of the local missionaries and pastors, who truly risk everything they have for the glory of God.
2) Our taxi driver has followed us through every house and heard the gospel multiple times, but still feels hesitant on Jesus Christ being our savior. May his heart be more vulnerable to the Lord and may God's timing be in his favor.
Thank you for the never ending prayers and blessings ❤️!
Until the next blog,
Mary Kim