As she opened our March series, Missions: Participating in the Great Commission Right Where We Are, Cheli asked us, “So, what does it look like when we participate in the Great Commission right where we are?” I’d like to turn our focus to the “all nations” aspect of the great commission. How can we do international ministry, right here?
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
International Ministry… Here, or There?
I was a medical student in the international health track, looking forward to a rotation at a missions hospital in Kenya, when the man I had been dating for a few months anticipated a geographic conflict. My husband, you see, is a planner. It is never too early for him to anticipate and solve a problem. David was beginning his career in cancer research and drug development, which would leave him firmly rooted in a major American medical center. Although I would complete some of my training in Africa, Spanish had been my college major. I knew I was called to serve the Latin American community. David pointed out that, if God had called me to move to Latin America after my graduation, we needed to re-consider our relationship. He did not want to stand between me and the Lord’s leading to international ministry.
In the season of prayer and discernment that followed, I saw that God had opened doors and equipped me to work with the immigrant community right here, in Houston. Though many are called to carry out the Great Commission abroad, my personal international ministry was here. As a medical student and then pediatric resident in Houston, the majority of my patients at the county hospital and primary care clinic were from families that had immigrated from Mexico and Central America. It was a blessing to connect with my patients, encourage them, and pray with them personally, without the use of a translator. After graduation, I joined a pediatric practice serving this same community.
International Ministry at Home
Right here in Houston, the Lord has opened a multitude of ways for us to love, serve, and minister to people of many nations. Each year on the Saturday preceding Thanksgiving, my husband invites the faculty and fellows of his cancer medicine department over for a potluck Thanksgiving dinner. David speaks briefly about the holiday and shares his gratitude to the God who is the Giver of all good gifts before we share the dishes from our own cultures and backgrounds. We provide the turkey and dressing, but the favorite dishes are often the rich flavors of Indian cuisine. These dinners open the doors for more meaningful friendships and conversations. Many years we have six or eight nations represented, and their spiritual backgrounds are just as diverse. Just counting off the top of my head, we have welcomed families from Turkey, Brazil, S. Korea, China, Japan, Egypt, the Czech Republic, Peru, England, Spain, and India.
Student Ministry
Of the organizations doing international ministry right here, we are particularly glad to support Bridges International. Our friend Daka, who grew up in Kazhakstan, is on the staff of Bridges International here in Houston, serving international students at University of Houston, Rice, and Houston Community College. Bridges International has chapters at universities and colleges all across the country and describes itself as “a caring community of Christ-followers committed to serve, promote social connections and engage in spiritual conversations with international students so that students become leaders internationally.” Daka and his wife Heather welcome students into their home and connect students with host families for holidays and other gatherings. They support students through difficult personal times as well as larger events like hurricane Harvey and local floods. Additionally, Bridges has a wealth of resources they have made available online for holding spiritual conversations.
The Nations are Here
I have been encouraged and challenged by each the Do Not Depart team’s reflections on local missions this month. Ali encouraged me that no act of service is insignificant, and Lisa‘s perspective on supporting those with needed skills may keep me from dismissing opportunities in ministries that appear to be outside of my abilities. I hope that, as you look at your own community, you may also see that the nations are coming to our doorstep. May we share the Good News and the Grace of Christ while they’re here, for the Church is comprised of every nation.
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10
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