Real Life Missions

So I realize that I haven't been on any mission trips recently, but that doesn't negate my responsibility as a Christian to live a "missional" life. Right now at the stage I'm in, I'm not able to go on many trips (I'm lucky to find time to visit my family). But I have been busy. There is alot going on at my local church that I have been able to be a part of. Just learning to play a different part at church has been a wonderful experience. Jonathan and I both have experienced what it is like to be a lay-person at a church without living in the shadow of being the "preacher's kid". We are teaching Sunday School, working with our youth, we go to youth camp and events as chaperons, and we teach at VBS in the summer. I've been able to do things with the women's ministry and in short just help serve others without being expected to.
One of the biggest ministry opportunity in my life right now is at my job. I work at an itty-bitty, one-room store in the mall. And every day I work with my manager. It is usually just the two of us and we get to spend alot of time together. We have since built a very good friendship. There is only one thing... she is Muslim. Knowing how to share the gospel with her in a way that she will be accepting is hard. She has a very poor view of American Christianity. I have continually tried to let her see my life and the way I live in hopes that she will realize that my "Christianity" is different from what she sees others living out.
One of the hardest points of sharing with her is getting to the gospel. It is very easy to talk to her about God, or even some of the patriarchs and biblical characters. She very often will strike up a conversation about a moral topic and ask me what I believe about this or that issue. But I don't know how to breach the subject of Jesus. I don't want to preach it to her, I already know she doesn't respond well to that. No one responds well to having something shoved down their throats. Right now I am just waiting on and praying for, I guess, a "Divine Moment" to present itself and allow me to talk to her about it.
One of the hardest things though is that sharing the gospel has gone from something I do with random strangers or kids to something alot more personal. This woman is my friend. Every time I listen to someone preach or teach on sharing the gospel, especially when they are talking about a Muslim context, I perk up and listen like my life depends on it. Well, mine doesn't, but her's does. And that fact breaks my heart. So many times I come home from work or from one of those missions lectures with a heavy heart. I know that I am sharing in the heart-brokenness of God for the lost at those moments. Missions has become real now. Before it was just a nice idea. Sometimes the hardest thing is when she walks out of the back room after praying to Allah and she looks miserable. Like someone just maliciously killed her cat or something. But I know that the reason for these expressions is that she has no hope.
Right now I continue to search for moments of opportunity. I daily pray for her. And right now I'm in the market for material to help me know what to do and say. I'm also looking for a Bible in Arabic, her heart language.

Next Step In Life

One of the interesting things about following (and for me: reviewing) my blog posts and reading about the things that are going on is realizing that missions and ministry work happens not only when you're overseas or at a camp but rather noticing it happening during your every day life. Too many people believe that "ministry" is something you do in relation with a church or organization. Not enough people realize that real ministry happens when real Christian people impact real people. What also should be emphasized is that ministry is not just helping the lost but also their fellow Christian brothers and sisters. Most of the ministry that I have been able to be a part of since starting college have been of that sort. I have learned to be a real person and impact people during my every day life.

Last week, Jonathan and I were married. I am a wife. Which means that now my first ministry responsibility is Jonathan. I see him everyday. Everything I do, I must do with him in mind. If this doesn't teach one to serve I don't know what will. Our goal remains the same: to become international church planters. Our desire is to minister to the physical and educational needs of children in third world countries. How exactly that will play out, we don't know. That is still in the dreaming stage! But for right now while still pursuing our education we continue to actively minister in our local church, Grace, through doing basically anything we can get our hands into. We also both work secular jobs, he works as a manager at UPS and I am a sale's associate at a small store called Glitter. We continually endeavor to build relationships with those we work with praying that we will be a light for Christ through our influence.