Surrender. A topic that we don’t always want to discuss but we know when we actually give our life to him, he has plans that we could never even imagine. Surrender is like holding up both hands, palms facing up declaring you are God’s servant and that where he is you want to be. I remember asking God to use me in ways that I never thought He would. Before I came to Challenge I never thought I would be a part of an outreach to internationals. I never thought I would move to China. I never thought that those prayers would show me many incredible and life-changing things. God never ceases to amaze me by the ways he has used me.
One thing that my life group and our leaders in Challenge taught me was how to ask intentional questions. I was amazed at the depth these questions could reach and pull enlightening responses out of people. An observation I’ve had since being in China is the lack of intentionality in relationships. The people here have friendships but they don’t always seem to know what is really going on in each other’s hearts. One night I had a few friends over to hang out. We had been baking and having a great time. Afterwards, I pulled out some pictures and began to ask questions. The girls had to choose a picture to answer the question. They began to be vulnerable and to really share how they felt. Some said things like “I don’t think people know how much pain I’m in” or “I’ve never had someone ask me this before”. After the girls left I had one girl specifically say she had never been asked many of the questions we talked about. She told me it meant a lot to her and gave her so much to think about. This same girl is now a part of a Bible study we started and if I had not learned to really ask questions I wouldn’t know the pain, the depth, and the beauty of their hearts. This has helped me in knowing how to share with them, pray with them, and to love them overall.
Another thing that Challenge taught me was to demonstrate and be an example of the Gospel to others. Little daily things that we do as believers can be a testimony or even baffling to those who don’t believe. Numerous times I have been to dinner with people and I simply ask if I can pray for the meal. This has opened so many doors to sharing the Gospel. Suddenly people want to know why I pray, if I pray often or how I learned to pray. It’s a simple way to reach out to them and to identify with Christ.
In addition to this, developing natural friendships with girls just like I would in college has been huge in inviting people to learn about the Lord. One girl in particular had no idea about Jesus but she began to do things with us and other believers. She started asking questions and wanting to know more about this Savior we loved. Before long she started praying, and finally committed her life to following Him. That began because we invited her to be a part of our lives and a part of our daily worship.
Challenge taught me many things that I believe shaped me into the follower I am today. I mentioned; serving, intentionality and being an example of the Gospel. When I think of Challenge I think of awesome people, great leaders, and amazing disciples. I miss the sweet community, the Bible studies, the messages, but I am grateful to be using so many of the valuable things that I have learned. I am using these great lessons as I now serve in China.
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