What a week and a bit it has been. I’m sitting down to write this, and as per usual have no idea where to begin. More has happened in the first week back at Kaleo than I ever thought could fit into a week, and I’m so excited for more weeks to come.
This last week we had Theology of Missions course with Tim Stabell, followed by a trip to Vancouver for Missions Fest. I’ve gone to Missions Fest the last few years, and so I wasn’t expecting many surprises. I figured it’d be pretty sweet, but nothing revolutionary. I’m still not sure what relevance the weekend will have in the long run, but it was a significant time for sure.
In Theo of Missions, Tim (prof) would give us information about countries around the world and their specific needs – how best to pray for them, etc. One of the countries, The Congo, is one I’ve heard about a lot because of the LRA child soldiers. While I’ve been involved in a couple of Invisible Children events to raise money to free the child soldiers, to be honest it’s one of those world issues I try and sweep under the rug in my mind. It’s a brutal, complicated situation without much visible hope, and so I suppose I’d hardened myself to it. This week, as we lifted the Congo up in prayer, God began to soften my heart immensely. It was pretty scary, to be honest; having accepted the brutality and urgency of the situation, I felt unable to sit and simply hope for a resolution. I began to really feel called to actively engage these issues.
And then came Missions Fest. I remember a guy from Kaleo last year telling me about feeling called to work with International Justice Mission, to free child sex slaves. I kind of always looked at that and thought it was pretty good that I had my future figured out. But God’s pretty ironic sometimes hey? The Young Adults rally on the Saturday night, a guy from IJM spoke, and afterwards we were asked to pray and see what God’s calling us to in regards to this enormous, horrible thing that’s taking place all over the world. Me and Tim went and prayed, and I knew already that I was going to be doing something to help out IJM, but I don’t know if I was expecting to be broken down for these kids the way I was. I can’t help but feel an urgency to fight for freedom and fight for justice for these kids, and I don’t know what it’s going to mean for the rest of my life... Currently the plan is to intern with To Write Love on Her Arms next summer (fighting for justice and freedom for a very different demographic), but I also have a real heart for Invisible Children and IJM. I’m not wanting to get carried away or act on an emotional reaction to a brutal situation, but these things are going on in the world, and I don’t want to be okay with that. prayer for guidance in how to contribute would be so great.
I’ve been incredibly blessed with what’s going on amidst the community right now, particularly with the bro’s. I’m growing lots and feeling as if my prayer that our “love would abound more and more” (Philippians 1:9 reference there) for each other is really being answered. I can’t even say how thankful I am for that. I find that, as I realize more and more the stakes there are on the things I am fighting for (and can easily get overwhelmed by), I am feeling less and less alone in it, and seeing a growth in opportunity to come alongside others... Man, He’s doing a number on my heart. I don’t even know if I know how much.
This next week we’re going to be going up to Mount Washington for our Snow Trip – which means some sweet boarding. I haven’t been in way too long, and I’m really excited for this week. Please be lifting us up, for our conversations and adventures and ... academics (which I’m currently a bit behind in – I’ve got to get better at balancing the awesome conversations and bonding times with paper-writing and textbook-reading).
Justin asked me tonight for three words that he could be praying me “towards”, and I’d like to share them with you, with the hope that you’ll be doing the same: joyful, free, and fearless. I’m dreaming of these words becoming adjectives for Matthew Newton, and feel bits of each being stirred in me already.
Hope be with you,
Matthew.
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