Missions Week

This past week was Missions Week at Southeastern.  I didn't stay too involved with it but two of my professors had people come in to speak to our class.  It was great to hear stories of people on the field and to realize once again that my heart is truly for missions.  I anticipate the day that I am on the field and living in Asia once again.  However, I also LOVE being a student again.  I do not enjoy all the assignments especially the papers but being challenged intellectually, learning so much new stuff, and just hearing about several new things makes me happy. 

During one of the several guest speakers I heard this week, I heard this incredible story.  It's amazing to see God at work as the story of Jesus is told to the nations.

The speaker works in the tri-state area in New York City (NJ, NY, and I think part of Connecticut).  Anyway, there is someone there that works for him who had previously been a Journeyman in West Africa.  However, while in West Africa he became very sick and had to be medic-vac(ed) (sp?) out.  He went back to West Africa once he was well.  He again became very sick and was once again medic-vac(ed) out.  After almost dying while in West Africa, he realized that he probably would not be able to return even though he had a heart for the people he was trying to meet.  So he moved to New York City.  While there, he searched for and eventually found people from the West Africa people group that he had been trying to meet.  They are Muslims and work like 16 hours a day so there is very little time to meet with them.  However, this guys did what he could to build relationships with them, to share with them, and to build trust with them.  Although none of them had come to faith, an opportunity came up for him to take a short trip back to West Africa.  The men he had met in New York City were there making money to support their family back in Africa and were still in close contact with family members in West Africa.  So when this missionary went back the men from NYC called home and told the villagers to take care of this man, that he was their Imam (Muslim idea of a pastor), and that he had an important message to tell them.  There are now churches in that village or villages in West Africa because of the opportunity this missionary had to meet with people in New York City.  It wasn't what the missionary thought his life would look like since he wasn't able to stay in West Africa BUT God was still at work and because of his experiences and his work in New York City God's grace and love  is known in West Africa. 

God is incredible!!