Pre-trip Ponderings

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.”
Philippians 1:27-28

Wow- Only a day away! I’ve been doing a lot of reading/thinking in preparation for the trip and wanted to share some of my observations with you. I also am a HUGE HUGE HUGE procrastinator and am putting off packing…

We had a visiting pastor today at our home church and something he said (in reference to a quote from another pastor) really stuck out to me. He said, “It is not how high you jump, it is how far you walk when you land.” I really feel like this applies to the project and evangelism in general. I would love to get some of your input on what this means for you personally in relation to God.

For me, this quote along with the study of the Great Commission (Matt 28: 16-20) we have been doing in church the past few weeks, really affirms my decision to go on this project. I can’t just sit around and do nothing. I won’t. God is too good. The support I have received from all of you definitely shows me that God wants me in NYC, will use me there, and that you all can share in the glorious things He does.

My prayer is that you will feel the same passion I do. That being said, I’m nervous…haha but that seems natural.

The team and I have been reading this book called Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman in preparation for the trip. It examines an alternative approach toward evangelism by highlighting the importance of asking questions to who you are speaking with instead of having completely pre-set answers. The author also attempts to answer some of the tough questions Christians get asked. I highly recommend it for those interested in evangelism. I was thinking about using part of it for my Bible study next year as well.

I have also been reading a book my Pastor at home lent me (Thank you Pastor Matt!) It is called Out of the Saltshaker & into the World by Rebecca Manley Pippert. I also find this book to be fantastic! It speaks on living an evangelistic lifestyle and details some of the author’s personal experiences in evangelizing.

If you get the chance, please read those!

Thank you for reading all this! I hope to update you pretty soon after I get to New York!

Please pray for the team that everyone will get there safely.

I love you all!
~Malia