How has being a Christian impacted the way you made plans this summer?
This summer I spent six weeks on a mission trip to a closed country where Christians cannot openly do missions. After learning about the extremely large numbers of people in unreached countries who don't have much access to the gospel, as well as the access I have to closed countries as a student, I jumped at the chance to finally go on an in-person mission trip to engage others with the gospel. While a mission trip is not superior to other ways of spending the summer, and God might not be calling everyone to go on one, I thought it was an overlap of opportunity and need that couldn't be ignored.
What did it look like for you to live missionally this summer? How do you practically practice this?
On my mission trip we focused on building friendships with local students and sharing about Jesus through those friendships. We met local students in places where they gathered, and shared life with them as we got to know them. As we talked about our lives, values, and dreams, we had many opportunities to naturally share about how Jesus is important in our lives and the only way to be reconciled with God. In support of this, during the trip we received training on how to have conversations about spiritual topics and share the gospel, and would debrief as a team to share our experiences and lift each other up in prayer.
Were there any new (good or hard) experiences for you from this summer? Did these help or hinder the ways you engaged in missions?
It was a joy to live on mission together with a wonderful team of like-minded individuals, and also just have fun together for such a concentrated and dedicated period of time. I was encouraged and emboldened by being able to do ministry together with friends, share about our experiences, and keep each other in prayer. We also saw God answer prayer in many big ways!
Did you have any frustrations in your missional journey this summer? How did you find hope in the midst of it?
My greatest frustration came after one of the best spiritual conversations I had with local friends. After being excited at a previous meeting that we were able to share the gospel in full and that our friends had asked many good questions, I was looking forward to continue the conversation at our final gathering before our team left. My teammate and I prepared for the conversation and prayed together, yet when we met our friends they suddenly lost interest in discussing spiritual topics further (partly because of stress from exam prep), and seemed to have forgotten what we shared previously in response to their misconceptions about Jesus. In this environment where the biblical truth that people's eyes are veiled to the gospel of Christ was painfully obvious, it was helpful to meditate on how Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness of people's hearts–the light that the darkness has not overcome–that allows them to see him for who he truly is.
As summer comes to an end, what are you hopeful for moving forward?
After graduating from university, I look forward to investing more of my time in my local church, particularly our ministry to youth and young adults. With many new immigrants arriving lately, I have the opportunity to continue engaging in cross-cultural ministry here in Toronto!