For our 2nd week of ministry in Cambodia my team and I had the opportunity to do outreach in Siem Reap and were able to use each and everyday as “ATL.” For those of you wondering, “ATL” stands for “ask the Lord.” We would use each morning to seek the Lord’s guidance for what He had for us on that particular day- that He would order and ordain our steps and place people in our path that we were meant to encounter and serve as a witness to. That He would provide us with opportunities to spread His light and love… I think you get the picture.
Even now as I write this blog, I can’t help but smirk as I am reminded of the beautiful fact that as believers we should constantly be seeking a heart posture of “ATL.” So whether it be to begin a day with the goal of spreading the gospel here in Cambodia, or before you make your weekly trip to Kroger to pick up your groceries, may we seek our Heavenly Father’s heart as a 1st priority, asking Him to reveal His will and have His way in all that we do. It’s only then that we will begin to se meaning in the mundane, and begin letting Him lead more as a reflex and less as an afterthought.
The story I want to share with you today happened on Monday, October 31st, aka Halloween Day.
We began our day doing a team Bible study and read through Romans chapter 13 together. We’ve been going through the whole book of Romans together as a team and it’s been so cool to dive deep into this book of the Bible and see different things that we’re all gaining from our time in God’s word! After Bible study we came up with a loose plan for our day based off of what God had laid on each of our hearts. ATL has looked like a LOT of walking for my team and I, and this day was no exception to that.
We had just finished lunch and were getting ready to walk to the next place we agreed upon when we met Tom. Tom is a tuk tuk driver in Siem Reap, so he began engaging with us to see if he could give us a lift somewhere. We told him, “no, thank you,” but we continued on with our conversation even so. He told us that he is a teacher (which made sense considering his wonderful English), and that this day in particular was his day off, which was why he was working his second job as a tuk tuk driver. He told us about his wife and his son and daughter. He told us so much about himself and his life, and I felt so thankful that we could provide that space for him to not only feel heard, but genuinely listened to, seen, and known. He then asked us why we’re here in Cambodia.
I told Tom that we were there to show love to those that we get to meet in any way that we possibly can. I went on to say that we know what it means to be loved, and what it means to feel true hope and joy because we have freely been given those things by Jesus and for this reason we want to freely share our love, hope, joy, etc. with the world. I asked him if he knew who Jesus was or if he had ever heard of Him, and he said he knew a little. I was then able to reiterate that Jesus IS love and He is the reason that we do what we do. He is why we have joy that we carry. And that Jesus loves and cares for Him so deeply as well.
I then felt the Holy Spirit prompting us to walk away, so I had to trust God in that moment and follow what I felt as though He was leading me to do. We said our goodbyes and continued on our way. A little while later I found myself crying out to God in my head, asking for more. “I want MORE opportunities. MORE stories to come out of ATL that we can share. I want to do MORE…”
We got caught on the street corner because no one would stop long enough for us to be able to safely cross, and I felt God gently ask me, “would sharing the name of Jesus with Tom today be enough for you?” I smiled, took a breath, and thought back, “it would be MORE than enough!”
And then, at that very moment, who should appear waving and beaming at us from his tuk tuk, stopping traffic with the biggest “hello” so we could finally make it across the street but Tom!! Yes God, having the opportunity to share the name of Jesus with Tom was MORE than enough for me!
This day of ministry reminded me that it’s not about cool or flashy stories, it’s not about needing to do “more” or accomplishing some agenda that we knowingly or even unknowingly create. It’s not even about getting to see the fruit of what we’re doing because in reality, all I may be asked to do is plant the seed or provide water to what’s already taking place just beneath the soil. We are simply called to be obedient.To give God our “yes” to those things He’s asking us to do and say, and be willing to surrender the outcome to Him, whatever it may be.
This day wasn’t extraordinary by any means. It was just your average Monday, but God helped to reveal so much meaning through the mundaneness of it all. I pray that this story can serve as a reminder to you that everyday we say “yes” to God, we say “yes” to the promise of “more” that He has in store for us.
