12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper. (1 King 19:12)
When I was a DCE doing youth ministry, the moments when ministry really happened was not in the big programs or the well thought-out Bible studies, but in the small moments such as driving a kid home from youth night or waiting for an event to start. The youth would often share or ask faith-related questions.
It’s no different in the mission field. This past summer, on two occasions I was caught off guard when the kids made comments about faith or an opportunity to share about Jesus transpired.
While watching over the sign-in table in Old Hazelton during the VBS program, a young boy, who was very active (by moving around and avoiding what he ought to be doing) sat down next to me. Out of nowhere, this young boy asked me, “Do you like Jesus?” Taken aback, I could tell the boy was being very serious. I replied, “Yes, I do. Especially knowing how much He loves me and what He has done for me.” The boy sat there thinking for a second and responded, “I like Jesus too.” and then he left to play games with the rest of the kids. Wow, I thought to myself, what testimony of God at work in this community.
A week later, I was in Gitanyow with my home church. My wife is the team leader. For whatever reason, the kids did not know that we were married but found it amusing. As we were cleaning up, some young teenage girls who had been hanging around with us asked how long Tina and I had been married. I answered, “Twenty-six years.”
The response from the teens was, “Wow, that’s a long time.” Then one girl commented that she doesn’t really know where her parents are. She explained that her dad just left one day, and no one knows where he is. Her mom went to get milk at the store and did not come home for a couple of years. When she did, she was a very mean person. I could tell the girl was trying to make light of her parents not being around, but I could see the hurt in her eyes. Before I could say anything, the two girls left.
Putting effort into a large program is important, but it is also key to recognize that ministry often happens in those still quiet moments when you least expect it. Pray that God will be with us in those moments to share of His great love for whoever we are talking to.
