Serving with the Right Focus

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship.

-Romans 12:2

Ministry is difficult.  There are frequent conflicts and misunderstandings to be addressed and they are exhausting and sometimes painful to deal with. Those active in ministry will often frequently hear opinions from others about what they should or should not do and they quickly realize that it is impossible please everyone, even in the church.  Furthermore we ourselves as ministers of the gospels will make mistakes and often fail to do things in the best way.  But even when we do what is best, we will face criticism by others who are not happy with how we have handled one situation or another.  There are definitely moments of joy and satisfaction in the work.  But there are also many times where it is easy to wonder if such work is worth the trouble. 

Recently I came across the verse in Romans which reads "offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God" and I began to think of the ministry that I work in.  If my focus is to give my life to please others and I am driven by success in doing so, I will either end up compromising the very principles which I have stood for in order to please everyone, or I will become discouraged and likely give up.  But if I am called to be a living sacrifice to God and give myself up for his purpose, then regardless of how I am treated or what results I may see on this earth, no hardship or difficulty would be able to keep me from doing what God has called me to do.  Not only because I know that obeying God is the right thing to do, but because he empowers me to obey.  I can think of a number of times where I have felt powerless to do what I believe God wants and yet somehow I have been able to do it.  God's grace is wonderful even though it sometimes leads me on a road that is difficult and sometimes painful.   

The Construction has Begun

In late February, a group of missionaries and I went up to the Boya Hills area to look at some land options that were offered to us and to select one location to start building housing for the team which will be forming over the next year and a half.  We were well received by the community leadership and after looking at all the locations, we made the decision to start in the village of Yei (not to be confused with the larger town of the same name in South Sudan) because of its centrality to the population of the Boya Hills. 

A few weeks later, four of us went to Yei and started the work.  When we arrived we were greeted by the chief. We quickly found a place to camp out while we decided on a location to set up temporary compound to live and store materials while the house was being built.  For those first two nights before we set up, the chief and sub chief slept outside near us so that we would not be alone.    

After the two nights we decided on the location to set up. We hired people in the community to help with the work of gathering materials and building the storeroom.  Many gladly came and we had all the help we needed.  Except for a few bumps here and there, the work has been going really well.  At the same time, this has been one of the more difficult and stressful times of ministry for me, but I am thankful for how the Lord is working in my life and stretching me.

Because I have been staying in Yei village to help with the work, I was concerned about the condition of the church in Loryok.  Few people had been joining us on Sundays and there was only one other adult joining us regularly. At that time I asked many to pray for the church.  Recently, Pastor David came back to Loryok after being home in Kenya for three and a half months.  There have been a few others in the Loryok area who have stepped up also and have been more active in the church.  As a result others in the community are being encouraged and touched by the lives of those in the church.  I honestly believe this is God answering the prayers of many.  With the time I have taken back in Loryok, I have enjoyed spending time with some of the older children sharing the word of God, praying, and singing together.  There has clearly been a difference in the church since I had last written.  Praise the Lord!

How you can pray

Please pray for those who are working on the construction of the housing.  Pray also for our relationships with the people of Yei.  There is not one adult staying in the community who speaks English and this makes communication and dealing with problems more difficult.   Praise the Lord that the work has gone smoothly overall.     

Pray or a hunger for the word of God to be stirred up in the hearts of the people in the village of Yei.

Please pray for the church in Loryok.  Pray for members to recognize their individual roles as part of the body of Christ. 

Please pray for wisdom for caring for my health in this new more remote and harsher environment.  I have found that I need to give extra attention to my body to stay healthy.

Thank you for praying!