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David
I had the honor of going on a short-term mission trip to India with other team members this fall. I had longed for this trip, and God led me there through the following two things. First, I learned in the Perspective course that India is the country with the largest number of unreached and unengaged people groups. God's will was revealed to Abraham in Genesis 12:3: "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you. And all the families of the earth will be blessed by you." Later, before Jesus ascended to heaven, he issued the Great Commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20). Revelation 7:9-10 says, "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and they cried out in a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'" Secondly, a Christian couple who were very close to me during my undergraduate years gave up their stable, high-paying jobs and went to India with their three young children to do long-term evangelism. They often sent messages showing that unreached people in India accepted the good news of Jesus, and that brother often faced the risk of persecution to preach the gospel. When the person being preached the gospel asked him what his name was, where he lived, etc., he would leave quickly, as Matthew 10:23 says “When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another,...”
Our ministry this time mainly focused on two aspects: the first aspect was to go to the village or drug rehabilitation center to preach the gospel, using the model of the Person of Peace in Luke 10. We shared our testimonies and the gospel, and invited the audience to believe in the Lord. Those who accepted the Lord Jesus immediately were baptized by the pastor, and then the pastor immediately accepted the offering to establish a house church. After that, the brothers and sisters who just believed in the Lord were invited to become the leaders of the house church and we prayed for them. I was very surprised by the speed of this gospel spread. The second aspect was that we visited different churches and equipped the local brothers and sisters, such as teaching them the method of learning the Bible, loving couples workshop, men's ministry, women's ministry and how to conduct children's ministry. My main responsibility this time was to assist another brother to equip local co-workers with methods doing children's ministry, including how to help children retell Bible stories, memorize Bible verses, learn Bible songs, play Bible games, etc.
The biggest impressions I had were that the adults were very open to the truth of the gospel when God's spirit touched their hearts to trust in Jesus as their savior. Secondly, the Indian Christian brothers and sisters demonstrated great faith in the face of suffering and persecution.Thirdly, many miracles happened there, including a pastor with leukemia who was resurrected seven days after death and an injured bedridden woman who stood up and walked after receiving our prayers. These miracles demonstrated to the people with many gods, that He, Jehovah, is the one true God. Fourthly, the missionaries there were very active in evangelism, doing a lot of work to unite the churches to evangelize and care for pastors. Fifthly, I observed the holistic mission was in full swing in India. The holistic mission cared about the actual needs of the locals, helped them solve their problems, and allowed them to Feel God's love and spread the gospel.
After returning, I have a stronger desire for God's word. The first thing I do every morning is a spiritual devotion where I study God's word intensely so that I can learn the teachings of Jesus and imitate his life. Also, I pray for the unreached and unengaged people. In Austin, I would like to serve the Christian brothers and sisters in India by being more involved in online ministry work. There is so much that needs to be done in India, that I hope to motivate and encourage members of my fellowship to be involved by sharing my personal experience. At home, the children's ministry in India has taught me how to lay a strong spiritual foundation for my own children. Although I knew about the importance of missions from multiple perspectives in Perspective and Kairos, the on-hand perspective lesson I learned from God in India was the most impactful. Finally, I am grateful for every breath, every drop of water, and every meal given by God. I am grateful to God for these things that I had taken for granted.
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