Kingdom Work

​A dear friend in KY asked me for an update on our ministry here. I had to reflect a bit before giving her an answer, and when I did, I found myself saying that we aren’t doing anything “cool”. I told her that what we’ve been doing is really good, and really important, but it’s kind of lame. So as I struggled to decide what to write about this month, I thought that reflecting on Kingdom Work, on what ministry really is, would be a good reminder for myself- and would give you a glimpse into our daily life. 

Everything that we do, and that all Believers do, should be based on the commands and examples given by Christ. A common command we refer to is Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”. I love a good mission story about a new Believer following Jesus’ example of baptism in some exotic body of water, or a person being radically saved from a dark walk of life to shining the light of Christ. Those moments are incredible, and should be celebrated, but that is not the reality of our daily life here in Croatia. 

A statistic that I struggle with is that, on average, it will take a person 5-7 years to be baptized (in Croatia) from the time they hear the Gospel. We never want to “put God in a box” or doubt how the Spirit can work in someone’s life, but when understanding the Spiritual climate and responsiveness to the Gospel in our city, this fact is simply a representation of the reality of our situation. A reality that demands persistence and perseverance. Outside of attending language school full time at a college, our ministry looks exactly like yours can. Deuteronomy 6:5-8 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your eyes”. 

Daily we choose persistence in learning a new language so that we can share the love of Jesus with people we wouldn’t otherwise be able to connect with. We practice scripture and phrases like “Jesus Loves You” (Isus te voli) so that they will be written on our hearts, and so that we can talk about them with friends and strangers alike. As we walk through our neighborhood each morning, we try to smile at and greet each person so that they will come to know us as the crazy Americans who live here and never wear enough layers, but always want to talk. In class when our teacher wants us to practice new vocabulary and speaking, we tell our classmates that we don't find quality of life to be based on money, health, or love, but based on Christ and our ability to have peace with God. When a friend wants to go out for coffee, we listen to them talk about their life, their joys and trials and strive to be empathetic, encouraging, and point them to Christ. 

For me, this month, Kingdom Work meant going to see Dune: Part 2 (and being a good trooper while hating the movie). We were excited to share that our neighbors/ friends came to church with us last month! This month they finally managed to arrange a night out with another set of friends that they wanted us to meet- so we called the babysitter and had a late evening Red Bull. While we don’t always prefer to watch movies that start after 8pm, and for me, movies that are too creepy, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to connect with someone that is important to a person that is important to me. If my neighbor finally decides to go against her upbringing and her culture and become a Christ-follower, how awesome would it be if her friend did the same and they could go on that journey together!  

The night before that, I had a young lady (and dear sister) come over and watch Jesus Revolution with me. Afterwards, we excitedly talked about all that the Lord is doing in our city, and we talked about how she can continue to share the love and truth of Jesus with her childhood friend. In a superficial way, this was a good way to not have to spend my night alone while Jeremiah was teaching kids about rock-climbing and Jesus, and I was also doing my friend a favor, because without our VPN she couldn’t access that movie. But when we look at these situations with a broader perspective, she and I were engaging in discipleship, learning about church history and how we can pray for a similar revolution in a part of the world that the Great Reformation never reached, and ultimately, my dear friend will be an invaluable resource as we work to engage with more Believers and Non-believers alike. 

We don’t often think much about the ways we serve at church, because this has just become a part of how our family functions. Just like in Kentucky, Jeremiah teaches and runs the tech for our services, I teach kids and recruit others to do the same. We attend bible studies etc as often as we’re able, and of course fellowshipping over coffee and sweets is a universal love language. Luckily, the Kingdom Work that we are a part of doesn’t feel like work at all- except maybe for language study. Even though we are often tired, and have to protect our family time, it is such a blessing and honor to be able to serve in this city, meet people who love Jesus or who really need Jesus, and to live the life that we live. My dear friend reminded me that this is not our work, but the Lord’s, and it's by His grace that we get to be a part of it. I guess I shouldn’t call what we do “lame”, but we don’t have the sort of stories that get turned into movies. We do, however, have stories and more stories, and never ending stories of God’s faithfulness and goodness. 

-Anna