“Real Ministry”

One of my biggest prayer requests last semester was that this semester God would open doors for the opportunity to go deeper with people in my ministry.  I see the people at the clinic everyday, but I never felt as if they desired anything from me other than cleaning the bathrooms and floors.  This semester, God has completely answered my prayers in every way possible.  Initially, I thought that my ministry at the clinic would be ministering to the patients.  I never thought about the fact that I could be an encouragement to the staff and that they would become my ministry.  I still love having conversations with the patients in the waiting room, and playing with the children, but the times I enjoy most are hanging out with all of the sisters in the kitchen.  I do not think that I have ever laughed as hard as I often do there.  I love watching the barriers break down as the ladies open up to Hilliary, Aaryn and me about their lives, struggles, hopes, and dreams for the future.  We have been able to encourage, laugh, and pray with them.  Just today, we were able to go to the hospital to visit and pray with one of the nurses’ assistants who had a stroke and is in the hospital.  God has shown me that I often put Him in a box and put my ministry in a box.  I have this idea of what I am supposed to be doing while I am here in Africa and He constantly shows me that He is bigger than that and there are opportunities all around me to serve others and minister to them.  My prayer now is that when I return home I have the same attitude towards ministry.  I pray that I do not put God in a box by having my ideas of what real ministry looks like.  Opportunities for “real ministry” are all around us whether we are in Africa or Amherst, Ohio.  Ministry is defined as the act of serving others.  I pray as believers we are all constantly in a state of ministry.