Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. (I Cor 12:4-6, ESV)
We are wrapping up the “July OC,” typically the largest Orientation course of the year for new members of our Fellowship. There are 21 adults and 16 children, representing seven countries from six continents. This diversity is also seen in their life experiences and careers before joining our Fellowship:
- There is a former architect from the Netherlands who will live among an unreached people with his family to help address some social needs,
- One guy was a senior executive with a faith-based non-profit organization in the US and his family will soon be involved with church outreach ministries to the working class in Taiwan.
- The couple from Brazil will be based in Central Thailand, working alongside Thai Christians; the husband was a former tourism management professional while the wife was in media and communications.
Of course, not everyone will be working outside of their comfort zone:
- One Australian lady has had years of experience at a hostel for a boarding school and she will be helping to manage an OMF guest house in the Philippines.
- Another Australian, a classroom teacher, will serve as a college instructor among an unreached minority people group.
- A couple sent out from New Zealand will support house church leaders in different cities in a particular country; he was a pastor and house church leader previously.
- Our new colleague from South Africa will return home as the Finance Manager for OMF Southern Africa; he recently retired from his administrative role with another missions agency.
So what’s my point? When God calls us to participate in His plan for the nations, He sometimes directs us to fresh adventures unlike any we have seen before. In other cases, He leads us in new paths by utilizing our work experience and training in a different cross-cultural context. In other words,
He will equip the called AND He will call the equipped.
Recently, our fellowship has been recognizing the great need for encouraging people already equipped with marketplace skills and experience to consider a “marketplace ministry” in order to bless the unreached East Asian peoples, wherever they may reside in the world.
Do you hear His call to bless the nations?
We’d love to hear how God is leading you in His redemptive purposes for the nations!