As I write this article, my mission trip in Thailand is coming to an end. A group of five people from my local church came to Thailand. What an amazing time it has been.
We have seen the power of the Holy Spirit move in ways beyond measure. In one church that I spoke at, there were young people that responded to the Gospel. My heart lept in joy because when I flew to Thailand, my prayer was to see souls saved for His Kingdom.
That is what happened as people heard the Word of God, they encountered him and responded to salvation. We impacted two churches and then we did a youth camp with nine other churches represented.
My heart has been aligned in fresh fire with what the Holy Spirit is doing throughout the earth. It was awesome to see how God used a team of five of us to impact another culture. I was overwhelmed with all the new friends that I have made at the different churches where we were ministering.
The mission
Through this trip I have been challenged to not just get caught up with global mission which is his heart but to get caught up with local missions too. God used us everyday to impact the people in Thailand with the grace and the truth of Jesus Christ but our life goal mission happens when we come back into our city to bring light into the brokenness.
I spoke a message from John chapter 5 when the man who lay beside the pool for thirty eight years encountered a healing from Jesus. The man was healed and made whole.
This was a gospel message and the Holy Spirit did incredible things as one night we had ten salvations at a youth meeting. It was incredible to see the hunger that these young people have for Jesus.
If there were a couple of areas that I was challenged on during this mission trip then it would be the following:
Firstly, compassion is God's heart for humanity and it should be ours.
As we enter into Thailand my heart broke for the needs that I was seeing around me. One night at one of the resorts we were staying at, my heart just wept for the brokenness that I saw. It is easy for us to take for granted what we have.
The hot water that never ends, the incredible church buildings we worship in every week with sound systems and lights for example. Even the families and parents we live with that love us and nurture us. Coming back home I have discovered the need of an increased compassion for every person that I come into contact with on a greater level and scale.
It is amazing how some of the youth boys would come up to me on the last night of camp and just hug me not wanting us to go. I have found a new affection of love and what that looks like in local mission.
Secondly, I have a conviction to what it means to grow people into disciples.
I had a few moments to encourage people in their growth of faith. It was incredible sitting down and having one to one conversations and praying for these young people. Seeing hearts open into repentance and seeing the Holy Spirit move and for him to do his work in these people was humbling to watch.
We have an agenda but it is the Holy Spirit that works and we have to be open to his leading in our lives not just overseas but everyday. The same Holy Spirit that is at work in Thailand is the same Holy Spirit we serve in our schools, universities, and work places.
My prayer is that you too would stand with me and become mission focused which is in the Heart of God.
Brendon Collins is a Press Service International young writer from Wellington NZ