Friday, March 23, 2012

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.

No comments:

Post a Comment