Ministry?

I can see that the Lord may be moving Cris Ann and me, in the direction of an orphanage. We have one orphan, who was out of his mind some days, but has been restored and we are finding a lot of success in rehabilitating him into society. Even when he was in his right mind, he was seriously antisocial to the point where he would run from any children who came over and he would put his face on the wall. We have him helping with chores and attending class every day with Cris Ann. He has made friends with many other children and he has no problem being around a group of kids anymore.

The Lord has really placed me in an amazing spot within this community. Over the last three years I have infiltrated deeper into this community than any other foreigner on this planet ever. I have been completely accepted as family into a few families and they treat me with the same comfort and care they would their own. I can go to the basketball court and I am the only foreigner on this planet that can hang out with these tuff guys and interact as friends. Just last week I was invited to a funeral of an older man who I exchanged smiles with for years. I was invited by his family to attend. Funerals here are open to the whole community for eight days but no other foreigner could have gone and sat where I sat. I know the people intimately; we have laughed together, mourned together, celebrated together and grown together. Because of my place within the community and the intimate relationships we have built, I have a perspective of what's going on and what needs to be done like no one else.

Why am I writing about this? Because this is ministry! It has been a difficult road getting into the place I am now and only the Lord could have made a way like He did and does. But when I get asked 'what will your ministry be?' Or people here ask Cris Ann 'what will his ministry be?' I seriously feel that this person may be missing the point. 'Ministry' is life, it's every encounter, every situation, every word, every need, every opportunity, every dollar, being used to extend and show the Love of God in others life's as ambassador of Christ in order to restore a lost people to their God. The Lord is only concerned with personal relationships, ours to Him and ours to others. A 'ministry' should be based and rooted in building these relationships or it is no Christian ministry at all. Because of the relationships I have within this community and the focus always being on relationships, the Lord has placed me into a position that no one else is in. Now that the relationships are built I am beginning to pray about how to better equip the men and women here with a solid Biblical World view that can change their situation if it is embraced in faith. The people here are very materially poor but that is not all the governments fault. The fallen nature of humans and their warped world view, as well as plain old laziness, are huge factors in the poverty here and the lack of change no matter how many short term mission teams come through here. The only way to change the situation here is for the Word of God to shape and mould the way they see the world and themselves. Now I am in a very good position to make some real change in this community and I am praying about what move to make next.