I cried the first day after sending out my support letters. Looking back, it’s so silly now, but in retrospect, I was dealing with so many worries about what virtual overseas missions would look like and the only thing I had control over - raising support - felt insurmountable. Fortunately, my best friends assured me of the provision of God as both of them had gone on missions before. I think God allowed me to go through that for two reasons: 1. To develop compassion in me to support my other friends going on missions and 2. To cultivate deeper trust for Him in my heart riddled with uncertainty. Was I only going on missions if I knew every detail and challenge I would encounter or was I His child - eager to follow the footsteps of my Father?
The first day of missions we all woke up at 5 AM to get ready and pray for the Japanese students that we hoped would be coming, and no students came in. That was when our staff, Caleb G, sprung into action and decided that instead we would do a song of praise because God is always worthy of praise. After that impromptu worship, our team hopped on Instagram Live and there we met Annette, a graduate student studying in Japan whose mother was part of Cru, and she joined us on the call to encourage us. For the next two weeks, Annette would not only consistently join our calls, but she would go to her university library and go up to students to have them join us for English class, games, or spiritual conversations. God’s provision was nothing what we expected, but it was exactly what we needed with our limitations online.
God will always go beyond your every expectation and make new ones for you to look forward to. This isn’t because He has to, God doesn’t owe anyone anything, least of all us, yet He reached over 6,738 miles to move the hearts of strangers for us. We continued to do Instagram Live where we reached so many students, and other ministries in Japan even joined to encourage us. Honestly coffee was the last thing on my mind, every morning I was energized by the hope we had in God to bring the right people our way. We met so many Christian university students, and I was confused by why God would bring them to us. In my mind, the mission was for the lost, but as I reflect, I realize God wanted us to support, encourage, and love our family in Christ to continue to pursue the heart of their country.
We also got to meet other students who did not yet know the goodness of our God, and through English class, we would hold breakout rooms to share the hope which our lives were founded upon with them. As they shared with us, I realized how precious each person was to God because in a country where 1% of the population is Christian, they were meeting us and getting connected to a Christian ministry. I can’t even tell you the low percentage of these things happening, yet they were happening for the students we were encountering everyday for the past 2 weeks. Miracle is too small of a word to contain the ultimate providence of God.
When I was younger, I thought evangelism was a gift only some select Christians were given. I never thought I would be one because I couldn’t see how God could use me in His plans. Now, I understand a little more why God uses me and people like us because in our weakness and brokenness we were once lost and now we were found. Suddenly, we are fully reconciled, fully loved, fully restored, and forever transformed. We hold the power of the gospel in our every waking moment because as we move, God uses our lives to share what He can do for those who turn to Him. I know now that every believer is called to be a missionary. It’s not a job title someone holds, but it is a lifestyle of a lost sheep who was found by their Shepherd. When you see other lost sheep, you want to find them. You are desperate for them. You cannot contain it even if you tried because that is how deeply God has touched your heart. You can never go back. Every person is worth everything in you to seek, find, and bring back home because that is exactly what Jesus did for us and will do for them. I want to live that out for my life forever.
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