Stories from the Field

October 2004

From Their Mouths to God's Ears

By M.H. a former and future worker in Southeast Asia

There are many stories about playing with pythons, chasing orangutans, feeding ostriches, cleaning up after hippos, eating durian and other “new” foods, being chased by cows, lots of geckos and bugs, learning local dance, the 30 hours of travel to/from our country, squatty potties, prayer biking/kayaking/walking, (and so much more…), but that would just be the introduction to our FSU adventure in Asia! The real stories start with the students that we had the chance to meet, the opportunities that we had to show God’s love, and the chances that we had to tell students about Jesus and His incredible love for them! All of these things happened as we lived out the adventures listed above, as we built relationships with the students, and as we worshipped, with our lives, the one true God - in a culture that does not recognize Him.

It was SO evident that many people were praying for our team while we were in Asia because we were stretched and we grew, we saw God at work in amazing ways, and we got to be part of bringing glory to HIM in the nations as people heard the name and truth of Jesus for the first time!

We were in a Muslim nation, but we spent our time at two universities attended by local students AND by international students from around the world. You prayed for us to be able to build strong relationships quickly – and God answered that by allowing us to get to know students from more than 16 different countries, including: China, Mongolia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Yemen, Oman (in the Middle East), the Maldives, Kenya, and Brazil! Many of these countries are extremely closed to the Gospel, and the chance that we had to share Jesus with students from these countries in this context was incredible!

OPEN DOORS AND OPEN HEARTS: We were able to see God answering your prayers on a daily basis as students were asking questions and God opened doors for us to “give a reason for the hope we have.” I had the chance to share with a Muslim girl who admitted that she lived in fear because she didn’t know if she could/would be good enough to go to heaven when her god judged her. I shared God’s love through Jesus with her for the first time, but the strongholds of what she has been taught her whole life are like prison bars, and turning away from that has significant consequences… God also gave me the chance to share with 2 Hindu students. As I asked them about the gods that their families worship, they confessed that it doesn’t really make sense to them…that there is no real truth to their religion because every priest/teacher changes what the books say and teaches whatever they believe. We talked about the fact that there is truth and there is ONE way…they are now asking questions and wanting to know more, but again, they have a lifetime of false teachings to overcome… These are just 2 examples of opportunities that I had to share, but every person on my team could tell you of more students and more conversations just like these… Many seeds were planted – PRAISE GOD FOR THAT AND PRAY THAT HE WILL CONTINUE TO REVEAL HIMSELF TO THESE STUDENTS!

BROTHERS & SISTERS: One unexpected opportunity came when we discovered that both of the universities we were at had small Christian fellowships (of mostly Chinese students). We were able to worship with them and encourage them…and also to challenge them! God is beginning to work in their hearts to show them the opportunity (and responsibility) they have to reach out to the students around them! We were able to identify the students that God has been showing this to and to connect them with someone who lives there so that they can be mentored and equipped to share Jesus love with those around them! This may sound insignificant, but IT IN THIS COUNTRY AND CONTEXT THIS IS A HUGE MIRACLE!!!!!

THE BOOK: Our team was able to leave 2 Bibles with students who are searching for the Truth. Those students will now be meeting with someone to study the Bible as they seek the Truth about Jesus. PRAY THAT THE WILL BELIEVE IN THEIR HEART AND CONFESS WITH THEIR MOUTH THAT JESUS IS LORD!

HIS POWER: The most awesome thing for me is always seeing how God totally reveals Himself to those who have no church background or “knowledge” of the Truth…but next to that, the most amazing thing for me as I lead a team of students is to see how HE works in and through them. To see their willingness to go – even though they are nervous and have no idea what to expect! To see them struggle – with little things like squatty potties, no A/C, and lots of new foods AND with big things like how blessed we are and how it is possible that so many people in the world live without the hope of Jesus. To see them step out of their comfort zones and initiate a conversation that opens a door, then to hear them sharing Jesus with a student who is hearing about LOVE for the FIRST TIME IN THEIR LIVES!

HIS POWER WAS, IS, AND WILL ALWAYS BE AMAZING! IT’S NOT ABOUT US…IT’S ALL ABOUT HIM!

PINEAPPLES: As I shared at the beginning, there is no possible way to summarize all that we witnessed and experienced during our time in Asia…but we did have one experience that provides a great analogy. We had the chance to spend an afternoon planting pineapples – 115 pineapples to be exact. This took teamwork, some very basic tools (like old hoes and our hands), seeds (or pineapple tops in this case), and a whole lot of effort, energy, sweat, blisters, laughter, and tears. It took us several hours to finish planting 115 of them, but it will be ANOTHER WHOLE YEAR before those plants produce fruit, and the chances are, we will not be there to see that or to enjoy the “fruits of our labor.” In the same way, our team planted another type of seed – the seeds of the Gospel, the truth of Jesus. We saw the evidence that the Master Gardener is at work and that many of the seeds are growing, but we did not get to see the actual fruit. We stand on HIS promises that His Word does not return void, and that HE is the one who makes things grow…and we are SO VERY THANKFUL THAT HE HAS ALLOWED US TO BE PART OF IT!