Guest Blog: GT Moody
I’d like you to meet G.T. Moody. He is our Campus Pastor in Stillwater, Oklahoma. G.T writes…
I’m writing this blog from my room in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I brought a team from LifeChurch.tv to partner with Hope for Honduras (http://www.hopeforhonduras.net/) for a week. We will build houses for incredibly poor people, feed hungry kids and teach Bible lessons in schools. My prayer and purpose is that God will use us to make a difference.
Before I left, someone on my team really challenged my heart for missions. I live and lead a campus in a community with a large university. There are hundreds, probably thousands, of international students that move there for 4+ years. They are the best and brightest from their countries. They will return with an education, will be the ones most likely to have wealth and move into positions of influence and power. These international students will be so much more effective than a team of Americans going into their country for week long trips, or a sponsored stranger who goes in and tries to establish a church. I can’t tell you the name of one international student from our university. I haven’t had one international student in my home. We have had very little “out-reach” into the international community in our city.
Why am I not an international “missionary” in my hometown, making a difference in the world?
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I had a friend in college who was called to missions, but until she actually got to leave for China, she decided to make the largest impact she could on as many nations as possible and she did so through the International Community at her college. I don’t remember how many internationals she brought with her and ministered to, but I’m going to put the number at over 40. I know that because of what Amanda did, the nations are being changed even now. My roommate was Cameroonian, and I thought I would do the same. He became active in my small group and I believe he took back some things he learned from us, and boy did I ever learn from him.
That is good stuff. As followers of Christ, we should be making the greatest impact that we can in the place that God has planted us.
GT - great question. Here are some questions you might want to answer about your campus: how many internationals do you have on staff? how many internationals are in leadership roles on your campus? I think you see where my questions are going.
When I was a young professional my wife and I were very invovled in a church in a college town. The church was probably 50% international. Why? Because the staff was nearly 40% international and the band that played every had 2 international students playing in it. My wife and I experienced Malaysian, Taiwanese and a number of other cultures as members of that church. It was amazing.
As much as we want to relate to other cultures and see our relevance draw people from other cultures, there is no substitute for having internations represented in areas of influence in your church community.
I love that you are seeing the power in releasing leaders back into their indiginous cultures. I pray that you and your staff will see the world impacted through students touched by your ministry.
Brian… interesting thought. It probably even extends into marketing too. If you just look at the imagery in our kids areas, all the bible characters are Anglo. It kind of leaves me wondering, what does the Asian kid think?
The fact is almost 100% of people in the Bible are middle eastern. I think it’s OK for them to be similar to each other as long as they’re “brown.” We try to use animals instead of people to address that though.
Remember also that one purpose of international mission trips is also the change that happens in the team from the U.S. and the way that the locals will minister to you and your team. It’s not all about what *we* have to offer to *them*
Having said that, it’s probably a good idea for Lifechurch in Stillwater to reach out to the international community at OSU.
Its ironic that this should be posted this week. I’m a youth pastor for an English-speaking church in Jakarta, Indonesia. Just this past Sunday I asked the youth about their plans for college - specifically how they would be paying for it. I was surprised when every single one of them has a free ride to college - their parents are paying for it! I know most of their parents, and every one of them are educated overseas.
When you reach the internationals coming to your town - you’re not just reaching that student - you’re reaching their children, and their children, and . . . you get the idea.
Brian - you bring up a good point about internationals on staff as well. There’s an added bonus as well, though! As staff, they are learning leadership and church government! Not mention that if these same individuals go out into their home countries, and adapt and use tools on LifeChurch.tv:Open, you’re making it 100% easier to launch international campuses as well!
I’m already using LC materials with the youth - and they are loving it! Don’t forget, every country had a group of expatriates that are seldom reached by the local churches!
PS - To all the staff at LC - Thank you and keep up the great work!
I agree! I have been a campus missionary for 6 years now in Atlanta GA. At GA Tech, like most other campuses, there are literally thousands of internationals. My wife and I have made it a priority to serve these student while they are here. There are few times in life when you encounter someone who wants an “American Experience”, and surprisingly many of these students consider church and christianity a part of that experience. We have seen the gospel really penetrate into the hearts of internationals who never even saw it coming, simply because they were looking for someone to speak English with…
Please, keep pursuing this as a mission! I have a friend who together we actually started a work at our local university that has a very large international attendance. We were amazed at the potential and response; all the possiblities for the spread of the gospel. What sealed it for us was a statement one African fellow told us; “Could you teach me the Bible, so that I could teach it when I go back home?” What a request, and what a challenge! How can we not do every thing we can to meet such a request and even seek to do it for others? I’m absolutely convinced that we can affect countries with the gospel if we take this seriously and develop a real plan for training these folks to go back to their home and spread the word there. They will need to develop skills in creating churchlife there. It’s true the internet can help, but I’ve been told by those who live there that the internet is not as readily accessible there as here. It’s not as easy to hop online as it is here, so they will need more missionary training than maybe we’re used to giving, but it will be worth our time and effort, I promise.
I’m not from the States so this post relates to me. I think it’s very good to reach internationals so they take the message home. I’m an international in the sense that I use LifeChurch.tv materials via the Internet - so remember that you’re reached me this way (about 6-7 months ago) and I learnt so much from you. I’m still on my own but soon I want to reach thousands in Poland. God help me.
But I also think it’s good to be in Honduras. In Poland we like American people and the English language. Generally speaking, American culture carries with itself a lot of prestige in the minds of an average Pole. (I don’t mean to say that American culture is always good for us). I suppose this could be used to bring people closer to Christ. We watch American films, we listen to American music, we want to go to America to work, we learn American English… Now imagine somene coming from America telling Poles about Jesus. Wow! This would surprise many. And, I believe, positively affect them. If the people of Honduras have a similar mentality and attitude to America then it’s especially worhwhile sending people there.