Many of you know I have been in a time of seeking the Lord on what is next in my life. As I have wrestled and waited, the Lord has opened a door and put it in my heart to move to Northern India from August 2011-January 2012.
I will be going through the organization Crossroads Worldwide. Crossroads partners with a hospital and children’s home in Manali, India. They have an American missionary couple that has been there for three years. They will be guiding me through a missions internship focused on community building and discipleship. I will have specific assignments in the children’s home and school, and I will be helping them in the student ministry of the local church through teaching, worship leading and discipling young believers.
Manali is located in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains between Pakistan and China. Spiritually it’s a very dark place. Operation World, the preeminent book detailing the unreached peoples of the world, says, “India has more (and larger) people groups with no Christians, churches or workers than any other part of the world.” It goes on to say, “Christians in India are unequally spread–70% in the south, 25% in the northeast and only 5% in the more populated north and west.” Manali is located in the northern state Himachel Pradesh of which Operation World says, “Himachel Pradesh has long been India’s least evangelized state.” According to their statistics Christianity comprises 0.09% of the religious demographic. So, essentially it’s the most unreached place within the most unreached nation in the world. Christianity is not illegal, but believers are often persecuted in this predominantly militant Hindu and animistic nation, and there are millions of people here who have never been told anything true about Jesus.
Crossroads approached me with the opportunity near the beginning of February. I’ve had a relationship with several of their staff for a few years, and they thought what their missionaries were praying and asking for sounded a lot like me. In February I met with Crossroads staff to discuss the possibility in more detail, and then for the past few months I’ve been seeking the Lord’s leading in it.
As I’ve sought the Lord, I feel confident that this is His calling for the next season of my life. I feel this has been continually confirmed by the gentle witness of the Holy Spirit, those who love me, and the overwhelming influence of the Scriptures.
It hasn’t been an easy decision because it means leaving, at least for awhile, everything I know and love–my friends, my church, my town, and some of the best relationships I’ve ever had. Those aren’t bad things. In fact, I’m quite sure the Lord has given them all to me. I want to love my friends and family, continue to grow in deeper community, and continue to see God work here. I want to get married and see my friends get married. I want to work hard at a satisfying job using my God-given talents. These are not wrong desires–God has placed them in my heart.
But I have come to know and believe that beneath all those good things is really my desire to love and follow Jesus. I’m trusting His promise that “he who tries to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for My sake and for the Gospel will find it”. He is the joy beneath all other joys, the longing beneath all those longings, and the thrill beneath every other thrill. And what I see all over the Bible is that Christ surrendered things that were rightfully His and left a place that was comfortable because He loved the Father, desired to be obedient to His will, and desired to glorify His Father among hopeless people. He left home for me.
“Have this mind among you, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross…”
Philippians 2.5-8
As Isaac trusted his father Abraham and laid his life on the altar, so Christ trusted His Father and placed His life on the cross– not because He had to (John 10.18), but because He loved His Father (John 14.31), trusted His father, and wanted to glorify His name. So as I “have this mind among me, which is mine in Christ Jesus,” at His word, I can place my life and my desires on the altar. Not because I have to for Him to love me, but because I love Him, I trust Him, and I want to be obedient to His will and glorify His name.
That doesn’t mean you can’t be a Christian unless you leave everything you know and move away–that would quickly just be a new religion. It just means that at the heart of following Jesus is surrendering your whole life to Him. This is the overwhelming desire of my heart. I don’t want a life full of things I could have accomplished in my own strength. My heart burns to know God and share the Gospel. It is all I ever think about. I want to know the hope and power of the resurrection.
So that’s where I am. And I say all that to say it’s really just a love-motivated step of faith.
I’m not a spiritual hero flying in to save the day. I am not the Savior India needs. But at the same time, I am expectant. God has done unbelievable things through small unlikely men who would believe Him and do what He says. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14.12) So I really do believe God wants to do things in India through me…incredible, impossible, and supernatural things! And I believe He wants to do things in me as well…like draw me into closer intimacy with Him and continue to free me from unbelief, nationalism, and ignorance of the global Church. If nothing else, my hope is that I will be a servant and refresher to the missionaries that are there. May the Lord do what seems good to Him.
Many know that I am actively involved at Newspring, and as my friend there I would like to clearly express that I’ve never been more on board with the vision of our church. I love it here, and I am excited about seeing the Lord continue to reveal Himself at Newspring. I’ve really wrestled with having to leave for awhile. I know I’m called to ministry, and honestly, there are many days where I really just want to work and be involved here, but that doesn’t seem to be the door the Lord has opened right now. My hope is that you will know that just because this is not a “Newspring” thing I am still very much with you and for you. Who knows– perhaps the Lord will allow me to bring back a blessing for all of us. Surrender in the members will always serve the growth of the body. We do not all have the same gifts or callings, but we need each other, and I’m honored to call you family.
As for support– I know it’s sort of the right thing to say, but I am really jealous for your prayers. I’m more convinced than ever that believing prayer is your chief channel of influencing anyone or anything. I can really use your prayers as I’m preparing to leave, getting my things here in order, and packing my life into a backpack. If you would like to be on an email list for occasional prayer updates as well as specific requests, please drop me an email at walk.reed@gmail.com simply saying something like “I’ll pray for you”. This little bit of initiative on your part will help me feel like I’m not bombarding you with stuff you don’t care about.
I also need your financial support. The trip costs around $5000 (depending on the flight, etc). I need to pay $2000 by May 15 and the rest by July 15. It seems pretty reasonable considering what some of the short-term trips I’ve been on have cost. I believe that this is God’s will for me to go, and I believe that He is going to put it in people’s hearts to really want to support me without feeling coerced. All I’m asking of you is that you would prayerfully seek the Lord on how He might want you to partner with me. If you want to do that my address is 612 East Calhoun St, Anderson, SC, 29621.
I look forward to continuing to talk with you about all the details of the trip and the Lord’s work in the months to come.
