It's so crazy to think that I left nearly 7 weeks ago. I still feel like I just got here, and yet I leave in less than 2 weeks. I am so not ready to leave, I have imagined what my goodbyes will be like. I have wondered if I would cry like I did last time, or if it will be a happier goodbye. My time here has been nothing short of amazing. I have had friends ask me if it is as I hoped it would be, and my response is always that it's been better than I could have imagined. I have been able to laugh until I cry with the girls at Light of Hope, share the gospel with women who are so eager to learn more, as well as spending all my Friday's in the village. I couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable experience this time around.
Here are some highlights so far:
Every Saturday I go to a local slum where I share bible stories and share the gospel with about 5 women. These women are some of the most kind and loving women I have probably ever shared with. They are constantly asking me to come back to share more stories, and they're getting it. Because they follow the majority religion here, it is sometimes difficult for them to understand what it means to follow Jesus whole-heartedly. We have had really deep conversations with them about who Jesus is, and they have asked hard questions which shows me they are listening and paying attention. The other day when I was visiting we talked about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. We had previously talked about sin, the punishment for our sin, God's promise to send a savior, and Jesus' death and resurrection. We asked who wanted to follow Jesus and who wanted to put their trust in Him. They all raised their hands. They believed that Jesus was the Son of God, but they also believed that they could follow Jesus as well as the prophet Mohammad. We explained to them that in order to follow Jesus, you have to give up everything. You cannot serve two gods. They later understood that they must turn away from their beliefs, and they were not quite ready for that. I respect them a lot for this. My job is not to convert people, only God can do that. But I was very appreciative that they were honest with me in telling me they were not ready to give up what they knew. Many times here people will tell you what you want to hear, even if it's a lie, but it was not this way. I will only meet with them one more time before I go back, but I pray that my national partner will continue to come to this area regularly to share with these women who are searching. It made me think of several scriptures in the Bible.
First it made me think of Matthew 9... "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” It is no mystery that Bangladesh has a plentiful harvest with few workers. 160 million people live here, most of whom do not know the true Christ. I pray that more people would come here and share with women like these who are so interested.
Lastly it reminded me of John 4: “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” My prayer is that when I leave, God will continue to bring people here who will share and disciple those who I have worked amongst. I used to worry so much about wanting to see people give their lives to Christ, but I honestly don't pay attention to that anymore. Yes I would love to see people give their lives to Christ when I am with them, but my job is to be faithful to the task God has sent me to do. If I am solely the person who sows the seeds and somebody after me is able to reap, I am perfectly content with that. All I want is for people to see that He is the one true God, and I don't want to be distracted with the number of salvations I'm aiming for that I am not doing what God has asked of me. I am thankful because I have joined in on many peoples work that were here before me, and I have been blessed to be able to start new areas of sharing, but I pray and trust that when I leave, these areas will not be abandoned. I pray that God brings laborers to Bangladesh to reap what I have sown for His kingdom.
Another highlight for me was on Monday at the Light of Hope center. Somehow they got me to play English music and it turned into a huge dance party. We were exchanging Bangla dance moves for American dance moves. We laughed until we cried, and even fell to the ground laughing at some points. It was 30 minutes of pure joy. I will cherish memories like that for the rest of my life. Words cannot even begin to explain the love that I have for each of them. So anytime we are able to laugh and just hangout together, it's a win for me. They are the girls who I dread having to say goodbye to. When I think of Bangladesh, it's the Light of Hope center that first comes to mind. I am thankful that God has allowed our two very different paths to cross!
Here are some highlights so far:
Every Saturday I go to a local slum where I share bible stories and share the gospel with about 5 women. These women are some of the most kind and loving women I have probably ever shared with. They are constantly asking me to come back to share more stories, and they're getting it. Because they follow the majority religion here, it is sometimes difficult for them to understand what it means to follow Jesus whole-heartedly. We have had really deep conversations with them about who Jesus is, and they have asked hard questions which shows me they are listening and paying attention. The other day when I was visiting we talked about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. We had previously talked about sin, the punishment for our sin, God's promise to send a savior, and Jesus' death and resurrection. We asked who wanted to follow Jesus and who wanted to put their trust in Him. They all raised their hands. They believed that Jesus was the Son of God, but they also believed that they could follow Jesus as well as the prophet Mohammad. We explained to them that in order to follow Jesus, you have to give up everything. You cannot serve two gods. They later understood that they must turn away from their beliefs, and they were not quite ready for that. I respect them a lot for this. My job is not to convert people, only God can do that. But I was very appreciative that they were honest with me in telling me they were not ready to give up what they knew. Many times here people will tell you what you want to hear, even if it's a lie, but it was not this way. I will only meet with them one more time before I go back, but I pray that my national partner will continue to come to this area regularly to share with these women who are searching. It made me think of several scriptures in the Bible.
First it made me think of Matthew 9... "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” It is no mystery that Bangladesh has a plentiful harvest with few workers. 160 million people live here, most of whom do not know the true Christ. I pray that more people would come here and share with women like these who are so interested.
Lastly it reminded me of John 4: “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” My prayer is that when I leave, God will continue to bring people here who will share and disciple those who I have worked amongst. I used to worry so much about wanting to see people give their lives to Christ, but I honestly don't pay attention to that anymore. Yes I would love to see people give their lives to Christ when I am with them, but my job is to be faithful to the task God has sent me to do. If I am solely the person who sows the seeds and somebody after me is able to reap, I am perfectly content with that. All I want is for people to see that He is the one true God, and I don't want to be distracted with the number of salvations I'm aiming for that I am not doing what God has asked of me. I am thankful because I have joined in on many peoples work that were here before me, and I have been blessed to be able to start new areas of sharing, but I pray and trust that when I leave, these areas will not be abandoned. I pray that God brings laborers to Bangladesh to reap what I have sown for His kingdom.
Another highlight for me was on Monday at the Light of Hope center. Somehow they got me to play English music and it turned into a huge dance party. We were exchanging Bangla dance moves for American dance moves. We laughed until we cried, and even fell to the ground laughing at some points. It was 30 minutes of pure joy. I will cherish memories like that for the rest of my life. Words cannot even begin to explain the love that I have for each of them. So anytime we are able to laugh and just hangout together, it's a win for me. They are the girls who I dread having to say goodbye to. When I think of Bangladesh, it's the Light of Hope center that first comes to mind. I am thankful that God has allowed our two very different paths to cross!
