And You Will Be My Witnesses

“And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  We are so excited about going to Kenya but if that was the only place we ever witnessed we would really be missing a part of God's plan.  This verse, recorded in the first chapter of Acts, is the last words Jesus spoke before He ascended into heaven.   Jesus was telling his disciples to start witnessing right where they were and then move out from there. When we apply this to our lives, our neighborhood is our “Jerusalem”. 

Michael and I began hosting a backyard bible club for our kids’ friends last spring.  I wish I could tell you that I was inspired by this verse to witness to the families in our neighborhood.  Unfortunately, that would be a lie.  I didn’t really want to start a bible club.  With homeschooling and working part-time life was busy enough.  I was already helping in a Kindergarten Sunday school class each week.  Surely that was good enough.  But I wanted to obey the Lord and through a series of events He confirmed to us that this was something He wanted us to do.

I won’t lie. It has been a lot of work.  (Try having 8-14 children over for two hours and you will see what I mean.)  But it has also been a wonderful blessing.  I have learned so much about the Lord.  I have learned that there is great satisfaction and peace that comes from obeying the Lord when obedience is not easy.  I have learned that, while it is important to know my limits, there are times when the Lord may challenge me past them.  And when He does, His grace will be sufficient if I rely on Him. 

The kids enjoy an ice cream sundae party they earned by memorizing Bible verses.

We were studying about David and Goliath.  If you look up in the tree you will see a helmet that marks how tall Goliath was.

If you can't go to "the ends of the earth", God will show you ways you can witness right where you are - in your Jerusalem.

Visiting Orphans

Maybe you are interested in a short-term mission trip but your church doesn't have any upcomming trips planned.  Never fear! I've got just the website you need http://www.visitingorphans.org/. They work with churches and individuals who are interested in  - well I guess the name says it all - visiting orphans. 

Two other sites you might want to check out are www.bridgeafricainternational.org and http://www.lovingheartsbabies.com/. 

Even if you aren't considering going on a mission trip, I would encourage you to check out these sites.  Regular people are doing amazing things to the glory of God all over the world.  Your heart will be stirred.  Ephesians 2:10 says "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  I love this verse.  But when I spent some time reading it a few months ago, I got  a terrible feeling.  You know that feeling when you realize you have left something important undone.  Maybe you forgot to study for a test.  Maybe you forgot that your boss needed a report run before that big meeting.  Maybe you just forgot to turn the iron off before you left the house.  I began to realize that it was very likely that I was so wrapped up in my own life that I was overlooking the good works God had prepared for me.  I began to wonder if I would appear before my heavenly Father one day filled with a mixture of panic and regret for these things which I had left undone. 

Get out of your box and consider what "good works" God might have planned for you!