“‘Why did God send His Son, Jesus, and not an angel?” That was one of the questions Kaitlyn Eads heard as she ministered in East Asia during June and July 2018.
Seeds of the Gospel sometimes take root slowly, as Eads discovered. “The first few weeks,” she said, “some did not want to accept His story as being true. But after thinking about it, they began to ask questions” — such as why God sent Jesus to die for people’s sins. She explained that God’s sending His Son showed the depth of His love for people.
Although she worked with several churches, most of Eads’ time was spent with Greenhouse, a church in an apartment complex. Greenhouse’s ministry is limited because the minister is in the city only during summer months. The church is active then, but its work tends to languish the rest of the year.
Kaitlyn Eads and others prayer-walk for this and other Buddha Temples.
Eads prayer-walked frequently, praying for people, mosques, and government. She had four priorities as she met and built relationships with people in East Asia:
- Introduce them to the story of Christ.
- Help those who had heard the story to understand it better.
- Answer any of their questions that hindered their coming into faith.
- Help believers to grow in their faith.
One highlight of Eads’ trip was seeing two girls baptized in a bathtub — her first time seeing a baptism outside a church. Although she did not know the girls then, she said, “I was overjoyed that they chose to follow Christ.”
American missionaries and East Asian nationals enjoy a music festival.
Eads also saw selflessness demonstrated in an unusual setting — a card game. The object of Halli Galli is to collect cards from other players; when a player loses all of his or her cards, he or she is out of the game. A variation occurred, however, when Eads and two other American believers played Halli Galli with a group of local students. When a local student ran out of cards, the believers shared some of their cards with him or her as a demonstration of love. Soon the local students began to share their cards with others who were out. “It was amazing,” Eads said, “to see how one simple act out of kindness and love can affect others in a positive way.”
While she was in East Asia, Eads learned a personal lesson about patience. For two months, she went from having a well-planned schedule for her life to relying on God’s daily direction. “The only thing that was for sure planned was the plane ride back home,” Eads said. “God taught me how to enjoy the moments in life a little more.” She added that the language barrier also demonstrated the importance of patience as she struggled to communicate with students and with others in various situations.
Students and teachers interact at a science and engineering camp.
