What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. —1 Corinthians 3:5-11
Over the past four months, and past years, God has used me to plant seeds, water them, and see the harvest come.
The past four years, I was a Young Life leader in Manhattan, Kansas. I was challenged in ways I didn’t even know I could be, but I never regretted a single moment I spent with those girls through their junior high and high school years. I saw seeds get planted, watered, and saw the harvest of them coming to accept Jesus into their hearts. The World Race, however, has looked very different than my time as a Young Life leader.
On the Race, God takes me to a different country every four weeks. I’ve struggled to see how God has used me sometimes, simply because we are there for such a short amount of time. However, reading the scripture above has solidified to me that God has used in all of these ways on the Race. Holy Spirit has taught me through this scripture that God will bring in more Kingdom workers to finish His work, and that even after I leave a place, He continues to work in hearts and see people come to know Him.
In this month in Lesotho, I was used in all of these ways: to plant seed, to water seeds, and to bring the harvest.
In our time in the Malealea Valley, my team went to homes of people and shared the Gospel and/or encouraged them through Scripture.
On January 16, in my morning coffee date with Jesus, Psalm 147:3 came I to my hear, which was weird, because at the time I was actually reading Ezekiel. I flipped over and read it. God told me someone we would talk to that morning needed that verse. This was also weird, because this specific day, we were passing out Bibles we had already been to. So I kept it on my heart as we went out into the Valley.
We went to a few new houses, and at the first house we stopped at, there was an older woman wearing black from head to toe. “She’s mourning,” I heard the Lord say. We stopped and talked with her. She was mourning her husband, who passed away in July, 2018. I shared the verse with her and we talked to her about Jesus and his healing. I shared Matthew 5:4, and Psalm 147:3 with her. We asked her if she had a Bible. She said when her husband passed, possessions got shifted around and she couldn’t find it. God nudged me to give her a Bible, and I did. As we were leaving, we shook her hand and when she got to me, she kissed my hand, thanked me, and has true light in her eyes. In the hour or so we were at her house, God used us to rejuvenate this woman’s spirit and heart. I’m believing in full faith that the Bible we gave her will continue to transform her heart and life.
This is just one story of God using us in the Valley to plant seeds. This woman knew Jesus, but we were able to be used to refresh and water her heart for the Lord. And I have full faith that she will be used by God in that Valley to bring others to Him and bring glory to His name.
There were also times we were used to plant seeds. The same week, we stopped at the house of an elderly couple. The wife was the main one we talked to. A teammate heard from the Lord that she was often lonely. We told her the Lord was with her, and shared the gospel with her. She said she wasn’t ready to make a decision that day, but wanted to spend some time praying before jumping in. We prayed with her and prayed over her husband, who had bad eyesight. I fully believe that God will heal him, and I fully believe we were used to plant seeds that day.
We also got to see some harvest in the Valley. One day, we stopped at the home of an 18 year old. She said she went to church, but once we asked her questions about Jesus and the Gospel, she said she didn’t really know about Him. But through our conversations, she decided to accept Jesus into her heart, and invited Him in that day. It was such a sweet moment. We got to pray with her and spend a little time encouraging her. It was a day I will never forget. My heart was about to burst out of my chest knowing that this girl was now my sister in Christ.
As a short-term missionary in these places, some days it’s hard. Because we’re only here for a month, and sometimes only see people once, we might not ever see what happens to seeds we plant. However—if I’ve learned anything on the Race, it’s that there is power in prayer and intercession. There is power in faith. There is even more power in love. I believe in full faith that God wants to be in relationship with every of His kids we talked to. I love them enough because of Christ’s love, that they need to know they are His and that He wants to know them. I believe that after I leave, He will continue to send workers to the field to plant more seeds. water those seeds He has used me to plant, and reap the harvest.
I’m currently $2,953 away from being fully funded for the World Race. I have one week until my final deadline. Would you be so bold as to invest in me as a Kingdom wormer on the field so that I can continue to be used to plant, water, and reap the harvest? I am confident that I am supposed to be here, that I’ve been called to this. Would you help me continue to walk this out the next seven months?
If you feel led, please donate by clicking the link at the top. This year has radically changed who I am and how I see people. It’s changed me more than I can ever begin to cover in a blog post. But know that as a Kingdom worker on the field, I believe and am fully confident that I am work investing in as I continue to work in the fields of Swaziland, South Africa, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador, as well as the States when I return.
Much love to you all. Thank you for all you have done and will do to spread the Kingdom!
