Putting your faith on the line

Putting your faith on the line. This was something that we had never faced in such a direct way. Our plans were to travel through a neighbouring country for a few days on the way home to Australia. For this, we needed visas. However, with predictable Central Asian unpredictability, the consulate would not see us.

So we sent someone on our behalf to present our papers. The message we received back was disconcerting. Any one of us would be called in to the consulate for individual interviews, focusing on 3 questions:

Are you a journalist?

Are you a Christian?

What intentions do you have in this country?

If we answered yes to any of these questions, we would be denied entry.Furthermore, they wanted details of our workplace or study in Australia. Some of us were theological students.

If we were denied entry, we couldn’t take our flight home to Australia. Or at least, we would have to spend 3 days in a notorious room in a Central Asian airport.

What was a truthful yet expedient answer? What was a wise answer? We felt that we were called to give an account of our faith, with something at stake. We were called to count the cost of discipleship.

We discussed and prayed about this matter, and realised that to bring honour to God, we were to speak truthfully, graciously, boldly, and wisely. We would not lie. And we would commit our welfare into the loving hands of our Father through prayer. We were to live by his grace.

Each one of us was ready to give an account of our faith, but trusting in God’s sovereignty. What eventuated was that the next day our entire team’s visas were granted without question or interview! God had granted us all we needed. Through this episode, had made us define our faith and put it on the line. And he brought us through.

A tough lesson - ministry outside our comfort zone

The next day’s ministry project would be a new experience – serving the homeless people during this cold winter. But then panic set in my mind, as we were told that amongst those homeless people, some would have active tuberculosis. But that’s very contagious! How could I, as team leader, responsibly bring the team into this environment?

Restlessly, I struggled for humility and wisdom. My discussions with medical advice left us with our own individual decisions as to whether to participate in this ministry. As a team, we discussed our concerns and prayed together. We decided that if we were to minister Biblically, we had to do as Jesus did – he touched those outcasts in society, including those who were infectious. So we committed this to God through prayer, trusting in God’s care for us.

As we sang songs, presented gospel dramas and chatted with the homeless, I looked at the crowd. One man was particularly dishevelled, wearing filthy lice-ridden clothes. I thought to myself, “Of all these people here, this is the man most likely to have TB – I’d be careful of getting too close to him!” And yet, of all the men in the room, it was this very person whom God caused to approach me closely, poignantly asking, “Do you have any warm clothes? I get very cold at night”.

I couldn’t ignore him or move away. This was God asking me, personally, for a response. What could I do? My only response had to be to take the coat from my own back and give it to him. This was Biblical. And this was the witness God demanded of me.

I had to entrust myself to God’s grace. And God taught me the extent of his love. Ministry outside my comfort zone.

Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. (Matt 25:37-40)

Integral ministry - at the women's prison

It was an icy cold day. As four of us from the team headed out there with local partners, there were feelings of excitement and fear. None of us had ever been in a prison before. On arriving, we noticed that the prison laundry that was hanging on the line had been snap frozen with icicles hanging off the sheets!

It was a forty minute van ride out there, in a big orange van. The van was also to double as the class room for the kids’ English class. These kids are the kids of the staff of the prison. I couldn’t help but wonder what sort of lives these children have, spending their days in a prison!

There were moments during the ride that I just wanted to jump out of the van purely out of fear, but I was reminded that God loves all people, and some of the Apostle Paul’s ministry was conducted in prison, so therefore, showing love to these women was the right thing to do. In the end, I was so glad I didn’t whimp out as it was a real buzz to be witnessing what our partners do every week, and to be involved in this amazing ministry. On arriving, we stood in the cold corridor and sang some Christmas Carols – through closed metal doors and cold metal bars. Lucky for us, we had one of the partners accompanying us on her guitar so we didn’t have to sing acapella!

We then split off into pairs and headed for individual cells. We had prepared activities to do with these women, activities which seemed quite childish and frivolous, but the idea was to break up some of the boredom of their day. The partners had also brought with them specific items some of the women had asked for. Mostly, these were items of warm clothing as it was now the middle of winter, some of the women had been jailed with only the clothes they had been arrested in several months earlier in the summer.

We were paired up and a couple of us ended up being the pair doing all the singing, each time, singing Hillsong songs such as “You rescued Me”, “Shout to the Lord” and “This Kingdom” as each time we moved to a new cell, the women asked us to sing after they’d heard us singing Christmas Carols in the corridor. It was also a great opportunity to talk to these women about the real reason why Christmas is celebrated. One woman we met claimed she was a believer, and brought out a lyric sheet of worship songs in Russian so our partner could also accompany her on the guitar. It was encouraging also to then be able to pray with her. We met another inmate in the corridor. I was later told that she is a faithful believer who was unjustly jailed for a crime she didn't commit. She has been in this prison for over a year and has been discipling a new believer while her case is still in court, awaiting resolution.

Meanwhile, outside, Jo and Simona were outside in the van with another partner getting involved with the English program with the prison staff kids. This ended with the kids giving each other toboggan rides in the snow.