Heart Check

Is ministry work only done overseas?

I know the answer to that question, and I hope you do too; however, this past week, when I was in Pucallpa (Peru's jungle) with a team, the heart behind my answer was changed.  In the Bible, Jesus elaborates on the Old Testament law by saying that yes- obedience of the law is important, but what is looked at by God is the heart and its motives.  In other words, Jesus stresses ministry involvement but He also examines the heart as it serves, surrenders, and sacrifices.

Is your heart connecting, truly connecting, to ministry only when you're overseas?

It's easy to connect to a ministry that is so dense with the spiritual high of a missions trip and that there is no endurance required.  I am only here in Trujillo for 11 weeks, so I will barely touch the effort that it will take to get over the hump of staying committed, dedicated, and invested in a ministry.  At home-- whether that be in New York, Pittsburgh, or Newark, I am part of ministries that last months, if not years.  There is an endurance, a perseverance demanded.

As I was in the jungle, God spoken and has continued to be speaking to my heart about where it has been during the ministries I have been a part of.  Am I staying committed socially to the children in my home ministries when I've had a long day with classes and practices?  Am I remaining dedicated to pour into their lives and love on them emotionally when I'm already spent?  Am I continuing to invest in them spiritually when it's months into the program and there hasn't been any apparent change in their attitudes and behavior?

Proverbs 21:2

All a man's ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.

The ministries I'm in at home weren't and aren't a bad thing, but the heart that motivated me wasn't always at the standard God calls me to be at.  I have seen the passion and creativity that comes with investing all of one's self in a ministry, and I have been encouraged, and even convicted, about where my heart has been and needs to be.  From the pastor's daughters who didn't care how silly they looked but danced before the children and before the Lord to the volunteers who proclaim fearlessly the Gospel while complementing their ministry by the sacrifice of investing their money and time selflessly into the lives of children in need, I have seen hearts invested in ministry.  And that is contagious.  A heart that loves and serves the Lord with endurance through the months of serving is a beautiful and honorable sight, and my prayer is that as the Lord weighs my heart, He will find it so heavy from being filled with the investments made in the lives of children, youth, and adults around me.

Here is a quick update of what we did in the jungle!

-The ministries and projects we did were all connected to the Alliance church there with whom the visiting team has had a partnership with.  We worked in the church, helping with painting, small construction projects, and fixing a screen for the wall projector.

-Relationships are a huge part of the Latin American culture, so we spent hours visiting church (and non-church) people's homes, hearing the pains and joys of their lives and encouraging them in their faith by sharing verses and praying.  This was my favorite part as I saw the hearts of people who typically are just passing faces in the church building.  I am definitely planning on keeping up this practice when I return to the States!

-We were able to help the team (from Yakima, Washington) host three VBS programs in two churches, and I cannot even begin to describe their success!  We were expecting 60 children at each of the churches but instead had between 140 and 150 children at each, not including all of the parents that came and watched the whole time.

-Brent (my co-leader and fellow intern) and I were able to go to the reino sanitario (garbage dump) one of the days, and so connecting with the people who live and work in the garbage dump was really great!  Trujillo has two garbage dumps and they both hold hundreds of workers, so this was nice to get to meet the dozen families that lived in Pucallpa's smaller garbage dump.  Below is a picture of Leo and his sister, two children who so evidently show God's joy and smile while living amidst the poverty of garbage dump living.