The Other Side of the World

Earlier this summer, I traveled with 12 other young adults to a country in East Asia. Seven of us ended up in a “rural” town of 1.5 million people in the mountains. I really didn’t know what I was getting into when I agreed to help lead this trip, but I quickly found out as I stepped off the plane. As a 6’ 5 1/2” blonde guy, you have a tendency to stick out in the US, but in a foreign country not known for many tall people, everyone notices you. It is a very strange feeling to have people stare, point, stand next to you and measure themselves against you, laugh, and take pictures of you simply because you look different than them. Needless to say, our 13 day mission trip to the other side of the world helped me understand more fully I Peter 2:11-12, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

Though all of us endured some strange looks; our uniqueness also provided an open door to share the message of Christ with students and adults; many of whom had never heard the name of Jesus. It was refreshing to engage in conversations that we could naturally turn to spiritual matters. We didn’t have the usual hindrances that occur in our western culture. People were interested in Jesus because they were interested in finding out about us. As you watch and listen to some of the excerpts from our experience, my prayer is that God will stir your heart to GO so these people can see your good deeds and glorify God because your testimony leads them to a new relationship with Christ! If you want to know more about going to East Asia yourself, visit http://easia.imb.org.

To view/listen to audio slideshows from our trip, click the image below…