Well we are just getting started on the fourth week of the trip. This is the last full week we will be spending in Berlin before heading out to debrief in Switzerland. The theme of the week is World Vision. This gets me excited as world missions is definitely something I am passionate about. In terms of our ministry here in Berlin, we have already gotten to share with students from over 50 nations. Some noteable ones including Colombia, Iran, Iceland, and Ukraine.
Doing ministry here in a foreign context has taught me many things about evangelism as well as myself. I came into this trip with the strong headed desire to share the Gospel by any means necessary. And while we are called to share the Gospel boldly, I started realizing my sinful pride perverting this calling. I started noticing that I was sharing the Gospel as a means to glorify myself. I was too caught up in getting across what I wanted to say and I realized that I was not being motivated by love for Christ and love for the lost. This has challenged me to depend on the Lord all the more to obtain this love for the strangers that I was meeting and sharing with on campus.
And the Lord has been faithful in blessing me with a guy named Toby. Me and my buddy Steve met Toby on campus and got a chance to talk with him for about an hour and a half over lunch. From the beginning, Toby was turned off by us Christians because he had some ugly experiences with Mormon missionaries in the past. However, as we talked about what it means for us to walk with Christ, he started to open up and we got to learn more about his life. At the end of the conversation, we asked Toby if he would like to read the Gospel of John and discuss it over coffee sometime. His response went something like this: "An hour ago I would have said no. But after talking to you guys, I have a positive impression and I think I would like to." What a blessing it was to see his heart change in the course of our conversation! And all the more that makes me convinced of Christ's presence in me because I know that on my own I am as unattractive as a sack of potatoes.
Happy 4th of July from Berlin!
Prayer Requests:
-Sinful prideful flesh being killed off
-Fruitful followup opportunities with Toby and Balduin
-Perseverance as we start our final week in Berlin
