The Harvest
Last night I was reading John 4, a very familiar story about the Samaritan woman at the well. One of my favorite things about the Bible is that if you come to it expecting to hear from God, you will every time. It is always fresh, always new. It truly is alive and active.
As many times as I’ve read the story of this woman, I’ve never paid attention to the conversation that Jesus had with his disciples afterwards. As the story goes, Jesus and his disciples were on their way from Judah to Galilee. Of the three routes they could have chosen, they went straight through Samaria. Most Jews made every attempt to avoid going through Samaria because of their intense prejudice against the people living there, but that’s not how Jesus operated. As they approached the village of Sychar, home to Jacob’s well, Jesus sat down at the well to rest, because the Scripture says he was tired and weary. The disciples left him there and went into the village to buy some food.
What happened next is one of the most familiar stories in the Gospel. A woman with an incredibly bad reputation came to the well to draw her water when she knew the rest of the women wouldn’t be there to openly show their contempt. She was shocked, however, when a Jewish man struck up a conversation with her. She was even more shocked as the conversation unfolded and she began to realize this was no ordinary man. In verse 26, Jesus spells it out for her. ”I am the Messiah!”
Overwhelmed, she drops her water jar and runs back to the very people she despises and starts telling everyone she sees that she has met the Messiah. She has been transformed by the most extraordinary encounter of her life and she can’t help but shout it from the rooftops. As we know, the crowds come out of their curiosity to meet this fascinating stranger and many are saved. Usually that’s the end of the story and we move on. And it’s a great story. But…
As the woman is running back to the village, we see that the disciples have made their way back to Jesus with the food that they had obtained in the village. Verse 27 says that they were astonished to see Jesus talking to a woman, but none of them dared to ask about it. Picture the scene. They couldn’t have helped noticing that the woman was practically hysterical as she ran back to the village, but they didn’t know what to do with that because it was so contrary to what was acceptable for them. So they just ignored it and tried to get Jesus to eat.
Jesus, however, was completely refreshed because He had just done what He had been sent to this earth to do, set a captive free. His nourishment came from doing the will of God and finishing the work set before him.
The next set of verses jumped off the page at me, and it was as if I’d never seen them before, though surely I’ve read them and just completely missed the significance until last night. Listen to what Jesus told the disciples.
Do you think the work of harvesting will not begin until the summer ends four months from now? Look around you! Vast fields are ripening all around us and are ready now for the harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! You know the saving, ‘One person plants and someone else harvests.’ And it’s true. I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and you will gather the harvest. (John 4:35-38, NLT)
And you will gather the harvest. Oh, Lord, let that be. I am so humbled that you have chosen to send me back to a people that I love so that I can be a part of gathering a harvest that you have already made ready. I am praying that the fields will be ripe and that we will just have to preach your gospel and many will come into saving faith.
I also pray that we will be able to plant seeds in those who are not yet ready, so that someone else can come along behind us and gather in a new crop of believers. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!
I’m ready, Lord. Here am I, send me!
Lessons from the Road
Last weekend our family took a road trip and ended up at Fall Creek Falls Resort. There are some really cool bike paths that go through the woods and around a big lake, and we had a great time out there exploring. We rode over nine miles, which is pretty impressive considering the youngest member of the clan is only 5 1/2!
On the way home, Brad starts asking what is for dinner. Now, my son is a planner. He is a quintessential firstborn, who must know everything about everything so he can get it properly squared away on his mental checklist. He has never been one for surprises and wants to know as much about what is going on upfront so that he can feel as in charge as possible.
Because I know where we are and what towns we are going to pass through on our way home, I’ve already been formulating a little plan to stop in Murfreesboro and eat at Mimi’s Cafe, one of my kids’ favorite places due to this little dirt cup sundae that comes with every kids meal. But I’m not quite ready to share my little secret because I want it to be a surprise. I have already worked up an appetite for the delight that I know I’ll get to see break out on their faces when we pull into the parking lot, and I can’t wait to enjoy it.
But Brad starts asking, “What’s for dinner?” Because I am aloof with my answer, he starts making plans.
“How about Buffalo Wild Wings? I really have a craving for that. We haven’t eaten there in forever. That sounds so good to me. Can we PLEASE go to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner, Mom? Please? Can we? Huh?”
Now, I might be exaggerating a tiny bit on the intensity of his request, but that’s what it felt like and it was getting on my nerves just the same. I knew that I had something special in mind and he just wouldn’t let it rest. I started to get so frustrated and thought to myself, “Why won’t you ever just let me do something for you without you having to try to control it?”
You know those moments when the Holy Spirit kind of bops you on the head? Yeah.
This is exactly what I attempt to do most of the time. Because all I can see is my very limited circumstances, I assume that I need to take charge to make something happen out of what’s in front of me. I forget that I worship and serve a God whose vision is limitless. He knows all. He sees all. He has a plan and the plan is good.
So my goal today is to trust. To hand over the reins and say, “Here, Lord. I want you to drive this girl where you want me to go. I know that what you have planned is so much better than what my limited mind can come up with on my own. I surrender… all.”
I’m Going Back!
If you are reading this blog, I assume that you have gotten the word that God has allowed me the tremendous privilege of returning to India this fall. I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for this opportunity, and I’m so glad that you are taking the time to come along with me. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for all of us!
As many of you know, God first called me to India in 2008, when I was able to go to Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, with a team of people from Brentwood Baptist Church. This was sort of an exploratory team to determine what kind of partnership we might be able to set up with the church we were working with there. Because of the nature of the trip, we spent many hours driving around to different churches in the surrounding villages to see all of the work this church is doing there. I was so unprepared for the kinds of things I would see and experience. At times I was completely overwhelmed by the poverty. At other times I was completely overwhelmed by the presence of the Spirit and the joy that is present in people who have so very little materially but are so very rich in their relationship with Jesus Christ. I went to India feeling pretty good about my faith. I came home completely stunned by the realization that my faith was actually quite shallow. My world had been rocked.
After a period of months, I was able to recover from the things God showed me on that first trip. My relationship with him grew dramatically as we worked through several things that needed to be dealt with in my own life. My relationship with Jeff grew as we came through a tough time and emerged stronger on the other side, only by the grace of God.
In 2009, I had the opportunity to return to India, this time with Jeff by my side. We worked together, serving the people of India through an eye clinic. Jeff helped determine whether people needed glasses or not, and I got to work at the end of the line handing out glasses and seeing the looks on sweet faces as they regained the ability to see clearly. It was awesome. I also had the privilege of praying over each and every man, woman and child that came through my line, whether they were Christian, Muslim, Hindu or any variation thereof. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. God used that trip to bring redemption in so many areas, and I’m so glad we had that opportunity.
Last year, Jeff and I returned to the same church as a team of two, this time going to help with a huge youth conference that they put on every October 2nd. We spent the week helping with preparations and just loving on and being loved by our friends there. As the partnership between our two churches had dissolved before it really began, this was an important time for us to show our love for them and support them in their kingdom work. We had a fantastic time and pray that the Lord will lead us back there again in His timing.
However, earlier this year, we felt that we heard the Lord telling us not to go back to Hyderabad this year. As much as it broke my heart, I knew that we needed to be obedient and that this could only mean that God had something else in mind for us. As strongly as I have felt a calling towards India, I committed to keep an open mind and an open heart and to go wherever I felt God lead.
As it turns out, He led me to a team of folks that are going to a completely different part of India than I have been before. There is a family that lives near me going on this trip, but other than that it is made up of people from all over the country. Our training is done online and via conference call. I am very excited to come together and put names and voices with faces. Until then, it is pretty cool to see how God can use technology to build a team of people before they even meet.
One quick story that I want to share. As I was praying through whether this is a trip that the Lord wanted me on, I prayed very specifically that God would give me a clear answer in a very short amount of time. The team was forming, training had begun and the money was coming due. I did not want to go on this trip if it was something I was doing on my own. The only way I wanted to go is if it was the Lord sending. So I asked for a clear sign by the end of that particular weekend.
That Sunday night, I came home to find a very interesting e-mail in my inbox. It was an RSS feed to a blog that I subscribe to, the Brook Hills Global Blog, where team members from mission trips have an opportunity to tell folks back home what they are up to out on the field. Interestingly enough, there wasn’t a team out that particular weekend. But someone who had been on a trip to India earlier in the summer, for some reason, felt compelled to write about his experience sharing the gospel with villagers in India who had never heard it before, exactly what I would be doing on this trip. The title of the blog, and therefore the subject line of my e-mail, was “How Are They to Believe in Him of Whom They Have Never Heard?”
I just laughed out loud. Really, God? Could you be a little more specific next time, please?
I don’t know if God has ever sent you an e-mail, but I know He sent me one. It was one of the most unique answers to a prayer that I’ve ever received, and I intend to treasure this one forever.
Please stop and pray right now for the souls of those who are going to hear the gospel preached to them in India. Pray that our team will be able to do the work that the Lord has prepared for us. And pray for the members of this team, that we will see and experience God in ways that we can’t even imagine.
If you would like to make a donation towards the cost of this trip, you can do so here. Your gift will go towards Bibles and other teaching materials that we will use as a platform for entry into the villages, such as the malaria cube. I am so grateful for your generosity that allows me to go where I feel the Spirit leading.
Thank you for your prayers. They are crucial, and I do not for a second take any of them for granted. I am so happy to have you along for this journey!
Because of His great love,
Leigh Ann
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