Over the weekend, I came to the realisation that even though I know the Bible well, I am unable to communicate it well. There’s a combination of factors at play here, I’m not sure which is the most influential: I don’t talk enough about what I am reading, what the Holy Spirit is teaching me in my personal reading; I’ve now been out of regular … Continue reading too much of a good thing, not enough of the right thing?
The very fact that you are foreign is, on its own, a key part of whatever ministry you do. As a foreigner, you generally have more respect, authority and liberty in whatever you do, and people will want to be friends with you. The flipside of that is that being foreign can also be a limiting factor in ministry – especially in terms of language, … Continue reading Ten things you should know about being a missionary
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powersof this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:11-12) I’ve been thinking about how difficult it is to stay conscious of … Continue reading Our struggle
So it’s been a little strange coming to terms with the fact that I am in my last few days living in Gonzanamá. Truly, I’ve been really happy here. In the days after the decision to move was made, I had a lot of peace about it. When telling people here I was going to leave, I’d say “Me da mucha pena irme” (it’s a … Continue reading last days, cold feet
This is what I said last year. Even at the time, I didn’t realise how true it would prove to be! Continue reading This (really) is me!!
D-Day. I’m feverish, sweating, sore, no appetite. It hits me all at once that I didn’t want any of this. I never really wanted to be a missionary. I didn’t actually want to come to Ecuador. I wasn’t planning on being away more than a year. What I did say was I want to live my life for You, for Your glory; that I was … Continue reading D-Day
So I was chatting with my friend O today. He said he feels God is calling me to stay and minister in Ecuador, specifically in his church. My first reaction was to laugh and say of course you think that’s what God wants! His response was that beyond the personal he honestly thinks I should stay. I told him I’d think and pray about it, … Continue reading Feelin’ filosófica
Past the six month mark and I’m already thinking about what to do after my time here (which, by the way, is still kind of indefinite – I’ve been saying I’ll finish up in August or September). Naturally, I’d like to go home for a bit. I’ve been talking about doing a trip to Canada to visit relatives, and maybe see something of the States … Continue reading What next?
It’s a sad irony that the rules designed to protect me and my Christian testimony prevent me from going to church. Okay, so that’s a little simplistic and perhaps misleading. Let me explain. The rules of course don’t say I can’t go to church. In fact, they don’t say anything about church. The rules say I can’t go anywhere alone with a guy. So, say … Continue reading Rules
Culture clash? Thankfully, I haven’t really experienced culture clash as such. I think having travelled before has helped me adapt to any new situations so that I don’t “feel” cultural differences so markedly. That said, there are certain differences that are mildly inconvenient! The culture here is much more sexual, even from a young age. One example is the tradition of electing reinas (beauty queens), … Continue reading Clash or conform?
