With the hopes of keeping this blog "readable" in terms of length, let me focus on some of the highlights of what the Lord did in my hearts, the hearts of my students, and in the Indonesians and Filipinos we met along the way.
God has been teaching me more of what it looks like to care more about pleasing Him than I do about pleasing other people. This is not always easy for me. But, after weeks spent in the jungles of Borneo, Indonesia, I had to begin to learn how to rest and take breaks from ministry. Without these breaks I would have burnt myself - and the team - out. God has also been teaching me how to receive blessings from Him. We had 3 wonderful guy students on our team who loved to bless us by helping us with our bags, letting us eat first, and keeping watch to make sure we were safe and out of harm's way. The girls on our team have also been a blessing in many ways. This team cared for each other so well, and I have had to learn to receive blessings from others.
I've also seen God do miraculous things in my students' lives. One of our students was completely healed - after we prayed for him - of his snake phobia (not just a fear...but a literal phobia). He even found a snake during one of our stays in a village in Indonesia, and was able to hold it while posing for a picture! Granted it was nearly dead, but he never would have been able to do that before. The students have also grown closer and closer to the Lord. They've seen His faithfulness in their lives and in the lives of the people we met in these countries. They have operated in love towards each other and have served, very lovingly, the ministries we worked with.
Though we didn't always see the miraculous healings we were hoping - and praying - for, we got incredibly good feedback from our ministry contacts. While in the villages, we visited homes (usually people who were members of the village church), listened as they talked about their lives and requested prayer. We would pray for them, but rarely did tangible evidence of God's answered prayers happen in the moment. Later, however, one of our Indonesian contacts pulled Liz - my co-leader - and I aside to encourage us. He said that these people we had visited were already talking about how the white people (whom they usually just see on T.V.) were now in their homes, listening to their stories and praying for them. They told our contact that they really felt we cared for them. It was exactly the encouragement we needed to hear!
God has been teaching me so much more about physical and emotional healing. He is teaching me that He cares, first and foremost, for our hearts. Yes, God loves to heal our physical ailments, but sometimes He chooses to first address the heart. This is the area He longs to touch in our lives. This is the area that is most vulnerable and so often attacked by the enemy, and distracted by the world. He has created us to share our hearts with Him. Our hearts are created to love Him. And, though many of the people we met claimed to be Christians, they most often were not actually following Christ and living lives dedicated to God. So, with many of them, their hearts really hadn't been given to the Lord yet. As I said, I'm still learning about healing. But, He is expanding my view to see that healing is not just in the physical. Paul encouraged us in 2 Corinthians 4:18 that we are to "fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
As I continue to process, I will surely write more of the things God begins to stir in my heart. Hopefully this post has made sense. There is one last thought to leave you all with. When I first came to staff the Discipleship Training School here in Honolulu, it was because I wanted to learn what it meant to truly disciple someone as Jesus disciples. Though I am still completely in process, I can honestly say that I have begun to learn how to disciple. For those that have allowed me into the vulnerable places of their hearts, I have walked with them, rejoiced in their triumphs and had my heart break when they are struggling. I am not perfect, but He is teaching me everyday. And, I am having so much fun doing it!
More to come, I am sure...
~Megan
