Thoughts on Alaska, Part 2

This blog post is a continuation of an earlier post titled Thoughts on Alaska, Part 1. The earlier post is more general while this post will include some of my theological reflections based on my work in Anchorage.

My Missions/Evangelism professor Pieter Tuit encouraged our class with some words that I hope I will never forget. He said, "You are instruments of God, nothing more and nothing less." What he meant was that I am not essential for God's plan of salvation for people I talk with (because God can do things however He wants to) and yet I am something that God will use to do His work. I tried to keep that attitude at the forefront of my mind during my work in Penland Parkway.

1. People want to know the Truth.
   

   As I entered Penland Parkway for the first time I had no idea how people would respond to my being there. Pastor James (of Trinity CRC, the church where I served) had warned me that I would likely be cursed but most of the time the residents just wouldn't answer their door. My perception going in was that most people have already made up their minds with regards to Christianity. This meant that I would either be trying to convince them of something they didn't want to believe or I would be telling them something they already knew. I figured there would be some people out of the 300 or so who would be interested and it was my job to find them and connect with them. After visiting the first few trailers I realized my ideas were wrong.

   Many of the people I talked with in the trailer park were receptive and appreciative of my visit. Not only this but it seemed as though they were just waiting to hear what I had to say. Although I was in a very poor area, I would guess I would have experienced a similar reaction. I would guess that one out of every four people I talked with did not attend church and were (at least superficially) interested in Jesus. Before I went out into the neighborhood we, that is me and the church, prayed fervently that the Holy Spirit would prepare people to accept the Gospel. I was shocked at how real the answer to that prayer was.

2. It is the Christian's responsibility to provide others with a decisive moment regarding their faith in Jesus.
   

   Before this internship I underestimated my role in God's plan of salvation for other people. This attitude really affected my demeanor in talking with people in Penland Parkway. When visiting with one person I caught myself being perhaps overly polite. He said, "I don't believe in any God. I'm an atheist." To which my knee-jerk reaction was to say, "That's OK. Have a good day and thanks for your time." Two seconds after leaving their doorstep I realized that my language was not accurately portraying the truth of the Gospel.

   I then began to think seriously about my role in the lives of the people with whom I was talking. I would knock on each door with the Jesus Film easily visible to the resident. When someone rejected me I never saw it as them saying no to me personally but rather he or she was saying "No" to Christ. With many of the people (some of whom even said they were Christians) there was a visible immediate reaction once they saw the video in my hand. I was really saddened for those people who shuddered at the sight of the DVD in my hand, and yet I also feel that I was doing God's will in bringing them the message.

3. Christians need to evangelize with the same perseverance as Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons.
   One other thing I was surprised about were the amount of JW's and Mormons in the trailer park. Not only this, but I was also shocked at how those people were thoroughly trained to reject any conversation with me. I have studied Mormonism in particular at some length so I was looking forward to discussing their faith in the same way that Mormons expect to converse with any Christian they encounter. I never got this opportunity, despite the proportionally large number of JW's and Mormons.

At our previous church (Faith Reformed in Lynden) Pastor Paul would often refer back to his cross-cultural experience in Chiapas, Mexico and how that shaped his faith. I now understand how such an experience can influence a pastor and, although it was difficult at times, I have learned lessons about God and humanity that will hopefully remain in the forefront of my future ministry.