Mysterious & Straightforward
God’s work can be straightforward and simple sometimes. Other times, it is mysterious and confusing. It is always awe-inspiring and usually very humbling. Fundraising is a part of God’s work in my life and ministry. It is rarely simple, often confusing, and always humbling. I recently returned from a two-week fundraising trip in Indiana and Kentucky. God did some pretty cool things while I was there. He opened a lot of doors for me, I met lots of encouraging, lovely people, and I was able to share what God has been doing in Hungary—all major wins in my book. But the biggest God moment for me was the one meeting I did where I know I didn’t gain any financial support.
I helped out at the One Mission Society booth at Asbury University’s missions fair. My job at the table was simple: talk with students about ministry opportunities, point out the OMS house on campus, and encourage them to sign up for more information about upcoming events. I’ll be honest, I had no clue initially how to engage these college students. And most of the students at the fair were there to get free ice cream. These two factors led to a couple of stumbles from me before the OMS house director, David (who knew what he was doing), jumped in to save the interaction.
Thirty minutes or so into the ministry fair, two girls approached our table. We all started talking about mission opportunities with OMS, and someone asked me to talk about my job in Hungary. “I primarily teach English,” I began. One of the girls whips her head towards me, her eyes bright. “And I create the curriculum that I teach.” Her jaw drops. David turned the conversation to her and she said excitedly, “I’m studying to be an English teacher. It is a dream of mine to teach and make my own curriculum.” I explained that I also studied English in college and went to the mission field right after I graduated. I gave her my information and told her to reach out if she has any questions about teaching English or missions or anything else. She signed up for more information about OMS ministry opportunities, including coming to an English camp in Hungary. As she left the table, my heart was full of joy.
God’s work can be mysterious and still straightforward at the same time. Ultimately, I won’t get any money from my time talking to the Asbury students. But that wasn’t why God sent me to that conference. I was sent to talk to one girl about her potential to serve through English ministries. I saw my trip to Indiana and Kentucky as a way for God to bless me, but instead, God used that trip to bless someone else.
