I Couldn't Be More Thankful

Tonight was another night of God’s incredible faithfulness.  Every day, I am blown away by His love.

I was invited to a college student and young adult Bible study at a friend’s house this evening.  I had a really long day, after a weekend that didn’t involve lots of rest, so I really debated going.  But eventually, I did go, and I was so thankful that I did. 

For the study, we talked about the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.  They had been looking at this passage for the last 6 weeks or so, and I caught them on the last night of talking about this passage.  Our leader went through each of the different characters of the story and talked about the characteristics of each one.  The Father- patient, forgiving, loving.  The younger son- rebellious, adventurous, lost.  The older son- jealous, empty, lonely.  I have heard this story for many years, so these emotions were nothing new. 

To end the study, though, we went around and shared which character stuck out the most to us in the story.  And as I sat there and listened to everyone’s stories, some in English, some in a different language, some through translation, I was so thankful.  There were 10 people in the room, including myself, and each person had such a powerful story of the way God has worked in his or her life.  One person shared about how she felt like the jealous and angry older son after the passing of a close family member.  Another shared about a time when she was the younger son, looking for meaning in the wrong places.  I shared about the Father, as I have felt such a new depth of His love in the time I have been here.  And when everyone had finished sharing, I felt such an incredible sense of peace in the room, a peace that only comes from God.  Everyone’s story led to the conclusion that the Father’s love is so much greater than we can ever imagine.  He brings meaning through the pain, He brings love to the lost, and He brings peace to the angry and jealous.  After the study, we all shared a meal together and shared how God was working in the ministries He has called us to.  And in that room, the whole way around the world, with ten people of three different nationalities, two languages, and one God, I got a new glimpse of just how big our God is. 

I’m thousands of miles away from home, but tonight I formed relationships with people that have quickly felt like family.   An older lady invited me back to her house to learn to make traditional food, a local fabric manufacturer offered to take me shopping to help me decorate my apartment, another single guy gave me his number and told me to message him anytime I needed anything or wanted a brother to talk to, and a newly wed couple felt sad that they were leaving our town and were not able to get to know me better.  God’s love has a way of bringing people together in a way that is beyond words, and I experienced that tonight. 

It would be very easy for me to feel stressed, overwhelmed, lonely, and out-of-place here.  There is so much work to do, so many lessons to plan, and so many new cultural things to experience and learn.  But through moments like tonight, I can see so clearly that God’s love is going before me.  I know He has me here for a reason, and I know His love is stronger than I can ever imagine.   There are days that are tough, but I know that I can do anything through His strength. 

These moments have happened so often since I have been here, and it is so incredible to see God’s love at work in such powerful ways.  I look back on the last month and I am so thankful- there’s no other emotion to describe such a smooth transition into such a new place.  God is clearly going before me, preparing my heart and the hearts of the people around me, and I know He is in the process of doing some amazing things at the school and in the lives of those I interact with in the community.  It is such a humbling feeling to know He chose me to be the one to bring His love to these people.  I couldn’t be more thankful.  

Luke Forshey

August 24, 2015

Are You the Christian You Want Them to See?

Tonight was an awesome night, definitely the most spiritually powerful one I've had in this country yet.

Last Sunday, I went to a local church with a family from school.  I really enjoyed the worship, and I met some of the band members after the service.  One of the guys in the band was a college student, just a few years younger than me, so we connected over Facebook, and he asked me to come to their next praise band rehearsal on Saturday.  I said I would be excited to join them.

Tonight, he picked me up, and we went to the rehearsal.  The first thing I noticed was they used zero music.  Everything was memorized, except for the lyrics, and the vocalists were the only ones who used the lyrics.  The vocalist said “Let’s play this in a higher key,” so they switched keys.  If the vocalist wanted a different feel, they changed that too.  The lead vocalist signaled where to go by either 1 finger behind her back (for verse) or 2 fingers behind her back (for chorus).  They led their whole service like this.  The only thing decided before rehearsal was the lyrics that will be sung.  It was incredible.  Not only were these musicians so talented on their individual instruments, but they had such a feel and chemistry through the team.  I got to play my trumpet in the band, and I was very thankful to join a team of such talented musicians!

After the rehearsal, there was a church prayer service.  Now, when I think of a prayer service in the States, I think of a few people, maybe 6-8, who sit in a circle and share prayer requests and then “popcorn prayer” around the circle, with one person starting and another ending.  It isn’t an important part of the church community; only the elders or experienced members of the church bother to attend.  Well the prayer service at this church was the polar opposite. 

Now, I am still struggling with the language in my current county.  The members of the worship team spoke very clear English, so I was able to communicate with them quite well, but the service was all in a different language.  There were a few worship songs, a sermon, and then a time of prayer.  Through this whole service, which lasted about an hour, I recognized about 4 phrases: “Thank you Jesus,” “Come fill this country,” “Bless this city,” and a reference to the verse “When 2 or more are gathered in your name, there you will be also.”  All of these phrases combined happened maybe 10-12 times through the hour.  I was so lost through the majority.  But I was blown away by the faith of these people. 

First off, about everyone in the church congregation came to the prayer service.  It was so important for them to be together and lift up the needs of their community and their country.  During the service, there was yelling, screaming, dancing around, and group prayer.  I didn’t understand any of it, but I could see it.  I could see that their praise was real.  I could feel the Spirit in that place.  They truly meant what they believed.  They weren’t hesitant to proclaim that Jesus is Lord of their lives.  They weren’t afraid to worship in an extremely oppressed area, where it isn’t extremely safe to profess to be a Christian.  They were worshipping God with all they had.  And even though I didn’t understand many of the words of the service, I could see their heart.  I saw such an incredible picture of how God wants us to worship Him; completely unhindered, a million percent devoted, and zero percent ashamed.  What a powerful picture, a picture that transcends words. 

I was really challenged tonight.  Even when I didn’t understand many words of their service, I could see their faith.  I could see their devotion to God.  I could see their love, and I wanted some of that.  I wanted to be a part of the incredible transformation that God has done in their lives, and I am so thankful for the chance to worship with these beautiful people through the next year. 

So I challenge you, are you living your life so devoted to God that everyone around you can see the passion and the fire you have?  Words are so secondary to the work God is doing in your life.  I think back to St. Francis of Assisi’s quote “Preach the Gospel at all times.  Use words if necessary.”  These people were preaching the Gospel through their lives, and I have a new picture of how God wants us to live our lives.   

People are watching you, me, and all of us who profess to be Christians.  Our lives are the most powerful influence we have. 

Are you the Christian you want them to see?

Luke Forshey

August 8, 2015

Ready, Set, Go

This has taken a couple of days to post and edit through, but it was written on the plane coming over here last Wednesday and Thursday!  More blogs are coming about my adventures here so far!

Have you ever had a day when you are just so overwhelmed with emotion that there is no other choice than to cry?  I’m sure we all have felt like this; crying and emotions are part of being human.  Some of these moments come from pain and sorrow, while others come from an overflowing of joy.  This overflowing of joy cannot be contained or stopped, and it manifests itself however and whenever it wishes.  I had many tears in my eyes as my host dropped me off at the airport this morning, but they weren’t tears of sadness.  They were tears of incredible joy shining through one more time on American soil.  I could be sad or nervous, scared or worried, and there are small traces of each of these emotions in my heart now, but the peace and joy I’m feeling now completely overwhelms any trace amounts of fear, and I am so grateful for that. 

One of the things that has made this whole journey so special is the realization of where I was last year at this time.  I was just getting out of a relationship that didn’t honor God, hanging with some less than positive friends to combat the loneliness I was feeling, and experiencing alcohol and the bar scene more than was healthy.  Less than a year later, I am on a plane, flying across the Pacific Ocean, following God to one of the toughest fields in the world.  He gave me the strength to turn life around, the people I needed to do so, and the situations that led me to where I am right now.

I don’t deserve this opportunity at all.  I should still be lost in my sin, knowing that God’s standard of holiness is miles, even continents away from where I was at that time.  Yet He saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself.  He saw “redeemed” when I saw “stained”; he saw “loved” when I saw “unlovable”; and he saw “son” when I saw “prisoner.”  Praise God that his view of us is vastly different, so perfectly different, than our view of ourselves. 

As I was on my first flight this morning, I ran into a very sweet older lady.  She checked in right behind me, and she ended up sitting right beside me on my flight to Washington D.C.  We started talking, and one of her first questions to me was, “Are you a missi**ary?”  Of course I answered yes, which prompted a great conversation about my year and her work as a small group leader in her local church in small-town Illinois.  It was a joy to talk with her, but this conversation was more important than just a friendly conversation.  This conversation was the first time that the term “mis**nary” became real to me.  I am going as a teacher and a worship leader, and I was focusing on these jobs because I feel good about them.  I’ve trained, I’ve practiced, and I feel confident in those responsibilities.  But the idea of being a miss***ary is not something I ever imagined I would or could be; I always thought God would pick someone stronger, who had more experience or more gifts to bring to the table.  I don’t know why that term really stuck out to me today more than the previous few weeks of training.  Maybe being on the plane made it more real.  Maybe I’ve said all of my goodbyes and I am prepared for what is really coming.  Maybe the Holy Spirit spoke to me.  I don’t know why this conversation happened, but I do know that it made me realize what a wonderful opportunity I have to reach people for Jesus through this year.

I look at my life at this time last year, and I see a world of pain and brokenness.  Dreams shattered, realities faced.  Life wasn’t a fairly tale, let alone a cheerful story.  And I look at the people in the country I am going to, and I see very similar people.  I see people who are lost and broken, looking for hope in the wrong places, and I can kind of relate to them.  Not in culture, not in religious practices, not in way of life, but in the human need to find a purpose greater than ourselves.  They turn to religious rituals for this hope and meaning, but they don’t know how their lives would change if they would turn to Jesus instead. 

As I look back on last year, I am incredibly thankful for that period of my life.  Every part of it has shaped who I am today, and I wouldn’t feel as prepared to tackle the adventure ahead of me if I hadn’t tackled these hard times in my life previously.  And even through my uncertainty about the future, my inexperience with sharing the gospel, and my insecurity about teaching many different subjects, I feel a sense of overwhelming peace and joy.  I know that God has used all of my life situations to prepare me for this time, which gives me incredible peace that God will use this year to prepare me for what is to come.  I know that I would not feel the way I do today if I was relying on my own strength, because I have none.  No, everything I am, and everything I will be, is a product of God’s incredible work in the life of a broken person.  And maybe this broken person, a 22-year old, first-year music teacher, could influence the broken people around the world.  We don’t have much in common, except the common desire to find a higher meaning for life.  But I know one thing for certain: God loves them, and God loves me, and God is in the business of bringing the broken to life.  I’ve seen it in my life, and I am confident I will see it in the lives of the people I meet throughout this year as well. 

Well, I’m on the plane now, there’s no turning back.  I have completed my training and readings.  I have a whole year ahead of me to touch as many lives as possible.  And most importantly, I have a God who never has and never will leave me on my own. 

When my plane touches down in a couple hours, the grand adventure begins.  There’s no holding back, no second chances.  Today starts the greatest adventure and year of my life.  The time is now, the day is here.    

I picture God standing up in Heaven as a starter for an Olympic running race.  He starts the race, and we all know what that means:

Ready, set, go.  There’s no day but today. 

Luke Forshey
July 29-30, 2015