When do we get to do ministry?

That’s been a question I’ve been asking myself almost everyday since we got here and even before we got to Indonesia. We’re missionaries; ministry is what we do, right? We’ve had 4 years of training and preparation to come to this country and minister to people, or so I thought.

Being a missionary is my career, it’s my wife’s career. So we finally get here, to the place that we’ve been preparing to come for many years and now we have to wait. Wait 18 – 24 mos. before we can actually do what we’ve planned on. Sometimes, it seems like it’s our lot in life to wait.

But, a new thought from the Lord has often penetrated my wondering. Our God, who is the chief shepherd, who cares more about discipleship than we’ll ever know, has so much more in mind for us than just ministry. I think His work of molding and discipleing us is more important to Him, than our ministry is. He most likely has many things to teach us and expose us to for our own growth before He qualifies us to serve others. He sees the big picture and knows best how to prepare His children to serve Him.

So yeah, I’m a missionary, a highly trained one at that, but In reality, I know that God has so much more in mind for myself and Bethany than just doing ministry. It’s easy to think that what we do, is the most important part of who we are. So if we’re not doing what we “think” we should be doing (ie. Running a guest house, buying supplies, supporting our tribal teams), it’s easy to think that we’re wasting our time.

But the truth is what we are is more important than what we do.

What we are is children of God, constantly in need of growth and His shepherding. Constantly in need of understanding of His word and what it says about us. And I’m confident that God is going to use the rest of our lives whether we’re learning language or serving our missionaries or doing something other than anything we’ve ever thought we would be doing, to continue to shape us to what gives Him glory and praise. So in the end, what we are is far more important than what we do.

So with that in mind, please be praying for patience and the willingness to be content with what God wants to do with us right now. We start our formal language study tomorrow.

-joel