Sep 5, 2012
How do you think your work is impacting the mission field in Asia?
- One of the most powerful ways to communicate information is through a video. Serving in this ministry has shown me how much the Lord is working in Asia. I’ve had the privilege to see powerful testimonies, and, through the Video Department, I can help communicate those stories and praises to people around the world. It’s not uncommon for a video made here to be seen by tens of thousands of people, so the potential impact from the video department is huge!
What is the most interesting aspect of your job?
- From storyboarding and scripting, to shooting, editing and distributing, I’ve been able to learn from talented individuals who have taught me how to create videos not through a textbook, but by hands-on involvement. These videos have specific purposes which has propelled my learning and ability to produce quality media.
What practical skills have you gained?
- One of the biggest blessings of serving here is being able to learn video production on professional equipment. I never would have thought I’d get my hands on the software and equipment I get to use every day.
What is it like working alongside the staff?
- Working alongside the staff is special to say the least. My supervisor is sold out for the Lord and dedicated to excellence in all he does. My learning from him has gone far beyond the video production process, to walking with the Lord through the highs and lows of life. He’s been a living testimony of patience and grace, as well as a constant source of encouragement.
What has the Lord taught you through your role?
- The Lord has taught me great lessons about working with people and being flexible. I’ve learned a lot about walking day by day with Jesus as opposed to meeting Him once a week on Sunday mornings.
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Aug 28, 2012
Wow, it has already been 6 months as a student here at Gospel for Asia School of Discipleship! The Lord is teaching me so many things and He is also encouraging me! I think the biggest thing the Lord is encouraging me to do is to keep following, pursuing and seeking Him no matter how I feel. I think this is the absolute hardest thing for me to do because when I am emotional and don’t know why (and even when I do know why) I just want to hide and get away from everyone. Now if I chose to rely and act on what my emotions said, I would probably be back home. Making the decision to rely in faith on the Lord’s promises, is so hard for me, but once I do it I feel better because when I read His Word I truly trust what He says. There have been times however, when I read God’s Word and didn’t feel any different afterwards — this is where faith comes in.
Hebrews 11:1 says “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (NLT). This verse explains it perfectly. When my emotions decide to take over; immediately faith needs to step in. I have to have confidence that what I hope to happen (which would be that the feelings go away and ultimately that His perfect, good, pleasing will would be done so He may be glorified) and by hoping this will actually happen I can be so assured that it will happen. I know the Lord and He promises to answer the cries of His righteous ones, to deliver, and give them such perfect peace for those who choose to trust Him and keep their thoughts fixed on Him (Isa. 26:3). He also promises us that when we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him (Deut. 4:29) He is not going to hide Himself from us. He doesn’t desire us to stay on an emotional roller coaster for the rest of our lives! He came to give life and to give it more abundantly! (John. 10:10).
I find this so encouraging that the Lord showed me this because it really is so important to this Christian life. I mean think of one who is in the position of leadership. Don’t you think there are days when they just feel like giving up and not leading anymore? I mean those in leadership have so many different tasks to do, decisions to make and there not always easy decisions, and they most importantly have to shepherd their flock like Jesus calls them too. If they decided to just give up and stop leading because that’s what their feelings were telling them, I don’t think we would have any leaders in the world, and I know Gospel for Asia would not still be in existence.
The Lord has shown me I have to train my emotions. Whenever I feel them coming up and taking over I have to immediately go to the Lord and ask for faith. And all I need is faith as small as a mustard seed to move mountains. (Matthew 17:20) God has used so many people in my life, especially here at Gospel for Asia to remind me that my emotions and heart are very deceitful above all else (Jer. 17:9) and I need to put my faith in the Lord’s promises. The president of Gospel for Asia, K.P. Yohannan reminds us all of this very often. We need to be reminded because emotions are nothing we can hope in and make decisions based upon.
I think back in my life before School of Discipleship when I used to make so many decisions based on my emotions and every single time, it turned into a huge mess. I remember receiving a text, e-mail, or phone call from someone who made me so angry and instead of taking it to the Lord I decided to react and I ended up really hurting that person and caused them to view God not as a loving God but as an angry God because I called myself a Christian. I praise God that He has been so gracious to me and grown me very much in this area of my life! I also praise God for even bringing me here to School of Discipleship so that these areas in my life can be revealed.
I desire to live by faith and I am encouraged to do so by all the wonderful people here at Gospel for Asia. Each day they encourage me even when I fail to not give up and to keep running the race for Christ. Praise God 🙂
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Jul 21, 2012
“If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?” -1 John 4:20.
How many times I have heard this, I cannot even begin to count. At School of Discipleship I think one of the key things taught here is love. Before coming here, I would read verses like these and say to myself “this doesn’t apply to me because I do love.” How do I know I love? Well, because I certainly don’t hate. I serve my family (only when they ask), I am patient with my little sister (only when she does what I say), I’m an encouragement when others around me are feeling down (only if I feel good or ‘up to it’). You get the point and the list goes on. Shortly after I got here to School of Discipleship, we read one one of Gospel for Asia’s required reading called The Calvary Road and the author Roy Hession specifically states that anything that is not love is hate…..when I read that my whole world turned upside down. I realized I have not been loving anyone AT ALL. I realized this, but I still justified myself and kind of brushed it off my shoulders.
Recently, God has humbled me and shown me yet again how I have not been loving those around me, therefore, I have not been loving Christ. The fact that I have not been loving the God who saved me from a life of death has broken me and hurt my heart so much. Recently, I have had quite a few instances where people have come up to me and told me how I hurt them by my words, tone, and actions. In the end all I wanted to do was go hide and say “I am not coming out of my closet until my year here is done — I refuse to talk or give advice because all I do is hurt people.” Only by His grace has He changed my heart because of my willingness to want to love others.
After all these experiences, I had to ask myself, “what is love anyway?” According to the Word of God love is patient, kind, does not envy, is not boastful, conceited, does not act improperly, is not selfish, not provoked, does not keep any record of wrong (that was hard for me to read), finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. (1 Cor. 13:4-7).
When the Lord showed me this verse (which is the complete definition of who He is and what true love is), I was so broken because too be honest I didn’t see any of this in myself. I am not patient or kind, I love to keep records of wrongs…and so many other things. I realized that I have not been loving any of my brothers or sisters, this way. As the Lord was showing me all this, my flesh wanted to run and hide, but my Spirit was saying “repent to all those whom you have not loved, and let Me get you through by My grace.” As I heard this from the Lord, this is exactly what I did. I asked a lot of people for their forgiveness and still have more people to ask. I will tell you though, that by me obeying and submitting to the Lord, I have so much freedom!!!
I am so challenged here, not just during the time I am at Gospel for Asia’s office, but more so in my daily living, especially in my apartment with the three others girls I have to live with. I don’t believe I ever knew what true love was until I came here to School of Discipleship, and to be honest, I still don’t know what it is. What I do know is that God is love and only by Him can I love others with the perfect love we all should be loving one another with.
I am so happy that the living God loved me enough to show me this area in my life that has lacked so greatly because it is a HUGE deal! I was lying saying I loved God when I couldn’t even love those around me. I am still learning this and striving to live it out each day, but only with Jesus Christ ruling my life. The second I decide to do it in my own strength, I fail. I have to consistently choose to remain in Him. Love is not something that the Lord has just given me I have to choose each second to love because love is a choice, and as I choose this it becomes more and more natural.
I pray that as I continue this journey here at Gospel for Asia‘s School of Discipleship , I will choose to love everyone with a pure heart because I desire to love, honor, and please my Lord.
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Jun 22, 2012
A few days ago a friend and I went to goodwill so I could attempt to find some clothes for a talent show As we were exiting this store we heard this quiet “excuse me,” but we ignored it thinking it wasn’t directed at us. Then twice we heard the “excuse me!” but a little louder this time, I turned around and discovered this pregnant lady trying to get our attention. So I walked back over to her and she looked rather nervous and kinda surprised that we had acknowledged her call. I asked what she wanted and she proceeded to tell Katie and I that the car she was using ran out of gas, and someone dropped her off at the Goodwill so that a church friend could pick her up and take her to another friends house so she could get money for gas for the car she was borrowing. She asked if we could maybe give her a ride to the CVS down the street so she could meet up with a different friend there.
We of course said that we would give her a ride and asked if there was anything else she needed. As we walked to my car, she kept repeating “thank you Jesus” and “thank you so much girls” and such. Once in the car she started talking a lot, and said that she was talking so much so that she wouldn’t cry. So in an attempt to keep conversation going and encourage her, I asked what church she went to. She answered and asked why I asked about church and if we were Christians. I gladly answered, “yes we are Christians, and I asked because I noticed you saying ‘thank you Jesus’ and was just curious”. She smiled and kept talking a bit more and then asked where we went to church, so I told her about the church I attend and about Gospel for Asia. By this time we had reached the CVS and her friend wasn’t there. She was starting to get really nervous and panicky and without thinking I offered to take her where she needed to go and help her out in whatever way I could.
She was overfilled with thankfulness and happiness that she was literally speechless. After she regained her composure, she asked if we could stop by Taco Bell to get her some food for the baby. We of course went to Taco bell’s drive through and paid for her meal. I gave her my contact information and kept encouraging her that it was the Lord’s answer to my prayers that I am able to help her out as one of my sisters in Christ. She kept marvelling over how calm and peaceful Katie and I were the entire time. After Taco Bell, we drove to her friends house so she could get her friends debit card to get gas, but she needed $25 so she could get gas. We didn’t have cash on us, so we went to an ATM and I got her some money so she could fill up the car she was borrowing. After that we went back to her friends house, she got the debit card, then we drove her, I’m guessing to her house.
I invited her to Gospel For Asia’s prayer meetings on Tuesday night and she said she might come. I’m hoping to hear from her again, and I’m so glad that we were able to be there to help her out. God is so good! I had been praying for an opportunity to obey Him without hesitation, and He gave me this! I’m glad this sister is safe, and I’m glad we could be a light and encouragement for her. God’s timing is so perfect. 🙂
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Jun 22, 2012
I would like to share with you a passage of scripture that has been impacting my life and thoughts. I believe that for the past several weeks the Lord has proposed this question: can you live a life of no guarantees? Will you give up everything and trust me and allow me to be your only guarantee? To be honest there were aspects in this question that were hard for me to take but many weeks before this the Lord spoke to me through Numbers 18 and Ezekiel 3:18. I would like to share that lesson with you because it was those passages that prepared my heart to say “Yes.” Numbers 18 is an outline of promises and duties ascribed to the priests,
As I began to read it I was reminded of my priest hood under the new covenant and it seemed that it was said of me to pay attention because these challenges apply to my heart and life.
“All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the first fruits of them which they shall offer unto the Lord, them have I given thee.” Numbers 18:12.
The very best of the things offered to God was given to the Levites; it was their portion for God had said He will provide for them because they had no inheritance. The best of my life I freely give to God and here He promises me the best in return!
“And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.” Numbers 18:20.
He is my inheritance and now between these two verses a beautiful picture of provision is painted for me. The road I may go is not easy or full luxury but it is full of my Lord, He will be everything I need and He will provide for me. The reward I work for is not for earth nor is the return from the Lord; those things are before me laid up at my Kings feet.
“And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father’s house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.” Number 18:1.
Here I pause for is not Christ our sin bearer? The answer is yes and it was impressed that I bear not the sin but I am accountable for their life, there blood is required of me.
“When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.” Ezekiel 3:18.
The gospel is in my mouth and if I refuse to speak it to those I know need to hear it, then indeed there is a responsibility placed upon me. What does it mean that there blood is required of me, I do not know but it seems to be a great challenge given with such a grave responsibility. We all have been given the gospel message, will it be uttered or will those lifesaving words be held in? So many are entering into an eternity without Christ? It is a sobering thought and I invite you to think with me; know this, what God has called you to do He will also provide. There is blessed promises given for those who walk the narrow road and carry the burden of souls, it is a joy. Christ never promised luxury in this fading world and the best I expect is to live as my master lived, poor on earth rich in heaven. There are billions of souls crying out for truth, let’s open our mouth by the power of Christ and reach the lost and stem the tide of untold billions washing away to Hell.
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