The Importance of Storying: My Story

My story starts off immediately with God’s faithfulness as my birthgrandmother ran away from home to have my birthmother instead of aborting like her family wanted. She gave my birthmother up for adoption a few days later and my birthmother gave me up for adoption when I was two years old. My loving parents raised me in a Christian home, actively a part of the local church. So you can see that God’s gentle hand has already been with me thus far.

A missionary came to my private school and though I heard the Gospel many times by the age of 7, I didn’t really know what that meant for me until he spoke. I remember him holding up a box of cheerios emphasizing that many kids in other countries do not have a choice of what to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner; many do not have the luxury to eat more than once a day. My heart stirred and I knew this is what God wanted me to do. So in that moment I knew God was real, I knew He had sent His Son to die for my sins, I knew that Christ was alive and His Spirit in me, and I knew there was a world that needed to know Him too. I knew He wanted to use me to tell those who haven’t heard the name of Jesus. It was a command, after all! Being a part of Girls In Action and reading through books on missionaries only confirmed that that’s what I wanted and needed to do. I was blessed to be adopted into a loving family and wanted others to be adopted into the Kingdom of God.

My faith was tested throughout the years and only grew through moving across the country, voluntarily switching to public school, my devotion to the fine arts, challenging mission trips in the community and overseas, choosing a career path, attending college, relationships with non-believers, finding God can use my artistic talents for His glory through summers in Haiti, spending time in Morocco and living in India, and most recently in marriage and support raising.

There have been so many times the Lord has made His Presence known and His calling clear. The more I commune with Him every day, the more I walk in the freedom of Christ. I’ve struggled with guilt, easily seeing the negative, and being my harshest critic, but the Lord has been good to me to see that His Grace is sufficient and His mercies are new every morning. We're heading to South Asia where many commit suicide due to their belief in reincarnation and worship gods without any hope in this life or the one after. God’s called us to reach a people group who were slaves and are oppressed, who are still slaves to sin and who have not yet heard the Hope found in Christ. Where the Spirit of God is, there is freedom!

The Importance of Storying: Culture

"You get to be wiser by storying the world and seeing it through other forms of consciousness than your own."  

-- Aidan Chambers

Culture: a patterned way which people do things together;  an integrated system of beliefs, values, customs, institutions. 

There are four different ways of learning:  visual, auditory, reading/writing, kinesthetic. The U.S. schools have approached the classroom lecture-style -- "cognitive dumping" as we call it.  But that's not the only way.  Nor should it be when we're adapting to other cultures. Two-thirds of the world are primarily oral learners (by mouth, spoken rather than written).  We see this in villages where stories have been handed down generation after generation.

Jesus wasn't English.

It wouldn't behoove of me to share the Good News in a Western way.  When my husband and I are overseas, lecture-style wouldn't get far, even if we knew the language well, and culturally there are still barriers we may never get past in 30 years.  If we're sharing the Gospel only in a literate way, there is higher risk of a superficial grasp of faith. The goal here is to urgently, efficiently and strategically adapt our styles of teaching to the culture we are reaching so that it can reproduce without us.  There are cultures within a culture, many dialects within a language, and various worldviews that differ from ours.  So what can we do?

First, it's not about us.  It's about the One who gives life and keeps us breathing.  It's about God's glory and nothing else.  Yes Jesus died for our sins but the purpose was so that we can have a restored relationship with the God of the Universe -- and it ultimately brings Him glory!

Second, because of His awesome love, grace and passion for His lost children who are dying every day not ever hearing His Name, He commands us to go.  He may not be calling you overseas, but he may be asking you to develop a relationship with that co-worker or neighbor of yours.  Have an open mind, soft heart, listening ear, and feet ready to go.  Be aware and refuse to remain ignorant that there's a constant spiritual war happening all around us.  It's beautiful when we obey because we come to a closer understanding of who God is, and that deepens our relationship with Him and brings others closer to Him.  Stay rooted in His life-giving Word!  Surround yourself with the Church -- someone who can mentor you, someone you can walk alongside with and keep each other accountable, and someone you can mentor.

Third, ask Him how He wants to use you.  He's already equipped you with all you need at this moment.  He can use your testimony, talents, personality, even something you own or someone you know.  I've known several families on the field where they were able to develop relationships just because they have kids.  When you're single you have more freedom to invest your time and energy traveling, discipling youth and doing some ministry opportunities families are not able to do.  My dad owns a mower business and he personally delivers parts and mowers to his customers, showing he cares about them and is then able to develop relationships that way.

"He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt." Deuteronomy 10:18-19

Do your research but also ask questions of another people group you're trying to reach.  Invite them over for tea or coffee -- what does their culture enjoy?  Ask to visit with them or have them take you to an ethnic store -- where do they shop and what meals do they enjoy?  What do they value and what is their story?  You'll find that talking about His Story comes easier than we think.  But God can't use us if we're not active.

Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, how can we walk in obedience and Truth this week?