*This post is part of a 6-part series in which I show you my weekly reflections during the 6-week mission trip. I'll be releasing one part every week so check back often if you would like to relive my trip with me!
W E E K 5 : J U L Y 1 6 - J U L Y 2 3
Here we are. The end of ministry. I can’t believe this last week was the last time I got to see my new friends. Part of me is happy that I get to go back home soon, but part of me is also really sad. Sad that my time with the huddle (team) is ending soon. Sad that I may never physically be in the same space with my new East Asia friends. Sad that one of the most amazing experiences of my life is ending.
BUT! I can walk out of this experience in celebration! I can celebrate the fact that God is moving here in East Asia. That He has already been working in the lives of many students here. I can celebrate the fact that we now have so many new brothers and sisters-in-Christ. Above all, I can celebrate the glory of God and how much more I’ve fallen in love with Him.
This past week was also our last week of class. PTL! Even though I am happy that we no longer have to go through 4 hours of class, it kinda made me sad when we had our end-of-class celebration. The teachers got up to say some things to us and the things they said made me so touched. They told us that we gave them so much happiness and that we were hardworking and that they loved us. I felt bad cuz during class I didn’t pay attention most of the time and even fell asleep a couple times. I guess I realized I didn’t appreciate them as much as I should’ve and I didn’t feel that I deserved their kind words.
Another really nice thing about this past week was all the 1-on-1’s I got with teammates. This week I decided to focus my energy on really getting to know my teammates’ stories and really caring for them. During the first 3 weeks I think I pursued ministry so much that I forgot to love my team and didn’t realize a lot of the things they were struggling with. So this week, I decided to change that. And it was amazing. By loving my teammates, I felt so much joy and love, and it’s truly only joy and love that God can give. I was also really surprised by how much they trusted me. They trusted me enough to tell me their stories, their joys, their hurt, their pain. And I definitely felt like I got to know them beyond just the surface level.
In addition to all the joy I felt this week, I also got to witness how God answered one of my biggest prayers. After my new friend prayed to receive Christ, she went home. So I didn’t get the chance to follow-up with her. Instead, I prayed that God would bring some people into her life to continue guiding her in her new faith. Not gonna lie, I didn’t expect God to show me an immediate response. But He did! Not only that, but He went above what I asked for…
Check back next week to see how God answered my prayer about my new friend!!
~jo