Ask Us Anything - Part 3 {Questions About Missions}

Mt. Wheeler in New Mexico. I'm missing the mountains and cold air so I'm showing pictures of them to reminisce. 

Hi!

Today I decided to write out my answers to 'Ask Us Anything' and I'll be talking about some general mission questions as well as some of our best memories from our time here.

Hope you Enjoy!

What will be your best memory, your best take-away, from your time here in Asia? The one 

you guys say "Remember when...." for years to come? 

We have only been here 6 months so this answer could change BUT for me there is one memory that I will never forget as long as I live. 

We visit temples here. I mentioned before that I have mixed feelings about visiting temples and each time I visit I want to tell people that there is a God in heaven that can hear their prayers and that He wants to have a relationship with them. 

One day Dave and I trecked all over town to find this huge reclining Buddha. We finally found the place where this Buddha was and it really was a massive reclining Buddha. I saw people bowing and my heart just broke. 

We were walking around the Buddha and a man approached us and asked us where we were from. I have no doubt it was The Lord prompting me but I just knew we had to share Jesus with this man. I wanted to be tactful so I asked him if he came to worship here. He said he did come here to meditate and then he asked if we were Buddhist. I told him we were Christians and then immediately he had question upon question. 

He told us he meditated so much but he could never fully tap into the spiritual world like he wanted. He then said this: "I have read the Bible through three times. How many times have you read it?" I wanted to hide in shame because I have only read it through one time.

He had so many questions about salvation so we sat down and shared the gospel with him and we shared lots and lots of verses. Remember, this is all right there in a Buddhist temple! I was nervous because I have no idea how they handle people talking about Christ in temples so when Dave was talking I was praying for God's protection.  

We talked a long time, prayed with him and gave him Dave's e-mail address. We have never heard from him and I don't know if we ever will but I will never forget what God did that day. I pray God used His Word and what we shared to help that man come to a saving knowledge of Christ. 

I know many of my readers aren't in Buddhist temples every day but wherever we are at people are seeking for Hope. I challenge you to ask God to open doors for you to share the gospel with people.

Do you have any tips or advice for people interested in missions? 

Yes I do! 

First I'd bathe that interest in prayer! I can tell you about missions all day but God can make missions happen. 

Secondly, I'd realize that missions starts at home. Somewhere I read that a missionary is someone who is passionate about telling others about Jesus. The good thing is you don't have to travel anywhere to do that. 

I'd get connected with some missionaries from your church. If your church doesn't support missionaries I'd be happy to get you in touch with some of my missionary friends.

Why get in touch with missionaries? Because it will allow you to build a relationship with someone who is on the mission field. You will know how to pray for them and you will get insights into their ministry. Not only will you gain knowledge about missions but you, getting to know a missionary and praying for their work will encourage them more than you will ever know.

I'd also consider doing a short term missions trip. There are many options and many places to do that but if you have a relationship with a missionary on the field that might be a great option for you to visit them.

Also I say GO! If you are called to missions but are hesitating I'd just like to tell you that being exactly where God has called us and seeing Him work has given me a tremendous amount of joy.

If you have more questions about missions please ask me! You can E-mail me or comment. I'd love to answer any questions anyone has about missions.


Favorite missionary story. Not necessarily the person but the experience of a person that was most impactful to you. 

I mentioned above a memory I won't forget but there is also something that I have heard many times from the people in prison that has touched my heart.

What is it they tell me? That they are thankful that they are in prison. They say that they were caught in a life searching for a longing to be fulfilled and when they came to prison Christ found them.

I don't doubt them for a minute either. Some of these people you can see a tremendous amount of joy in their faces. But isn't that just like Jesus? He knows where we need to be so that He can reach us. He is willing to use any situation to reach us and to have a relationship with us.

What gift do you have that is the most natural way to serve God for you? 

Encouragement.

I'm no pro but I definitely think that God has given me the gift and desire to encourage others.

I absolutely love being in Myanmar and Thailand and coming alongside the missionaries here to encourage and help in the work God is doing. The missionaries here work hard and they definitely need people to encourage and walk with them in their journey. 

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You all asked me some really good questions which made me think a lot! My challenge is to ask you the same questions and to see how God can use you. 

How can you be a missionary right where you are at? 

What gift do you have that is the most natural way for you to serve God?

I have two more Ask Us Anything posts coming up! Part 4 is about marriage and part 5 are all the fun miscellaneous questions you all asked.