I am finally back home in Ann Arbor. I was able to talk with some of the flight agents to allow me to get on an earlier flight so that I will have more time with the family.
It was a long plane journey from Jakarta to Singapore and then from Singapore to Tokyo… then finally Tokyo to Detroit. The good thing about flying is that I am able to read and reflect. In this 13+ hour leg, I was able to finish off another book (a review will be coming soon) and come up with about 5 different sermon series.
But more importantly, I was able to reflect on my trip to SE Asia. Here are some thoughts that quickly come to my mind:
2) God is moving powerfully all over the world. It is easy to get myopic when we are busy doing ministry in our specific location. I was reminded on this trip that God is moving in His Church and His people all over the world. It is encouraging to see fellow believers living out the Kingdom vision in their spheres of influence.
3) The harvest is truly plentiful, but the workers are few. Even though some of the churches in Indonesia and Malaysia are strong, there is still a great need for more churches to be planted and more missionaries to be sent to some of the unreached places. I was struck by the vast number of Muslims in this region. We need more people who are burdened for this area.
4) We need more of the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives and ministry. It was encouraging to see the situation that many of these Christians were in but how they were able to stand firm was inspiring. I was able to witness the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Also, in all the churches and people we visited, I was able to sense their dependence on the Spirit.
5) The future potential of networked relationship is growing. I was able to see firsthand the importance of the International ministry. Many of the students who come to our church will be going back to their country to work. The importance of discipleship and training will play a great part in ministering to them. With the growing number of nationals who studied in the States and now are back in their country, there is great potential of starting some new work in this region.
Overall, it was a great trip for me. I feel like a lot of the burdens and convictions that I sensed from the Lord were confirmed on this trip. Now the hard part is trying to put it in a tangible form so that I can continue to live with the convictions.
The sun was setting as we headed out of Surabaya and heading back home
This is one of the mountains that make up the Ring of Fire – many of the volcanoes are still active