How has your
involvement in Nehemiah Teams/P52 changed you/your view on missions?
I believe this summer has really solidified some of the things the Lord has been teaching me about His plans for my life.
This summer has brought me to the point of being willing to go wherever the
Lord leads, because honestly He has shot down all of my excuses as to why I
cannot go (and believe me there was a list)!
Being involved with the Nehemiah Teams this
summer has given me just a small glimpse of missionary work (being around
supervisors, others involved in missions, reading missionary biographies, etc.)
and it has been so exciting to see the Lord’s work being done and I cannot
help, but want to be a part of it. This does not mean that I know what to
expect next or anything, but this does mean that I am not only willing, but I
want to go.
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In what ways did God surprise you this summer?
The Lord really has surprised me with how He has given me
the energy I need to get up daily to do what needs to be done (with a smile on
my face). I remember the second full day we were here we were playing and
having fun with the children literally from dawn until dusk. We all came back
to the room so exhausted. We made a video saying “Day 2: They have so much
energy.” After that we just began to pray that God would give us the energy we
needed to do the work that needed to be done for this summer and all we needed
to love these children more each day. Though some days are more challenging
than others I can honestly say the Lord has been faithful to meeting our needs
for energy and love.
Another way the Lord has surprised me this summer is how He
orchestrated together such a wonderful team. I know that one thing most people
fear in settings such as this is not getting along with their team. The idea of
being in a foreign country (stressful enough) and then not getting along with
the people you will be with all summer sounds more challenging than necessary.
Really I can only thank God for how much my team and I get along. Though we are
all so different we still have so much in common and it is as if we balance
each other out well. Being blessed with such a great team has really made the
summer all the more enjoyable.
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Why should people sign up for Nehemiah
Teams/P52?
If you feel at all that the Lord has given you a heart for
missions or if you want to grow in this area then I believe you should sign up. It will really change your life. When you are immersed in another
culture (especially when you do not know the language) then you have only Jesus
Christ and your team to rely on. It puts you in a place where you will draw
closer to the Lord as well as other believers who have a similar heart for the
things the Lord has laid on your heart.
The personal growth material will
challenge you in your walk with the Lord as well as show you how much the Lord
desires for all people to come to know him on a personal level. There really
will not be many opportunities like this in your life so take them while they
are available.
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Is there anything else you would like to share?
Before college I knew the Lord was calling me into social
work and that he had given me a heart for adoption, foster care, and orphans.
Still I did not know what that was supposed to look like in my life. Then,
during my sophomore year in college the Lord started opening my heart to the
idea of cross-cultural missions. So for the last couple of years I have been
trying to figure out how these two desires (that I believe were given to me by
God) would look like in my life. This summer has just really helped me to see
that when working with children in adoption, foster care, or orphanage type
settings that no matter how much I can work to change their situation they really
need Jesus Christ. This summer being at an orphanage I could see the joy in so
many of these children, because they know Jesus Christ as their Lord and
Savior. This has helped me to see that I need to desire first to share Jesus
with them and then to help them deal with their circumstances.
