ASK.

Ask…

2 weeks ago, I hugged my family goodbye at Indianapolis International Airport & hopped on a plane to Georgia for World Race training camp- full of anticipation, excitement, & a little bit of nervousness…

but mostly just CONFIDENCE- that this journey is very much how God has prepared & intended for me to spend 2023.

Amidst all the emotions, I experienced the most peace I have ever felt. Stepping onto that plane, I prayed “okay, Lord. From here on out, I want to be on mission every day of this year, starting with the person I sit next to on this plane.” I sat next to a kind older lady and we struck up a conversation that ended with the Gospel and her promising her prayer support for my journey this year. Such an encouraging confirmation that God is going to use this year in bigger ways than I can ask, think or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

Moments later, I’m sitting in the airport in Atlanta and a man comes up to me (he saw that I had my Church’s livestream on my phone) and boldly asks, “are you a Christian?”- to which I got to engage him in a very meaningful conversation about The Lord that ended in him asking me to pray for him. Another confirmation.

… not long after, some of my teammates find me at the airport and as we all meet for the first time- yet again, I feel His overwhelming P E A C E.

Right off the bat, I can tell- “These people are ‘my people.’” Their love for Jesus was immediately evident and excitement for this year of ministering together just erupted out of all of us.

As we got to the “Adventures in Missions” base that night for training camp, I remember journaling about how I have never experienced so much overwhelming “peace that surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:6-7). I have never felt more ‘right’ about being exactly where God wants me to be, at the exact right time He wants me to be.

These past few weeks of training camp have been full of genuine worship, teaching on things like the Holy Spirit, intimacy with God, prayer, training sessions on logistics and traveling safety, practicing mission field/traveling scenarios, packing practice (our year’s worth of belongings have to fit into 2 backpacks), team-building, and most importantly- the heart of God. He has given me a fresh vision and passion for unreached and lost people and I cannot WAIT to take His Gospel to the nations!!!

One moment of training camp stands out to me in particular- we had spent a whole day focused on evangelism. Our leadership organized an allotted timeframe for our team to go out into the streets of Atlanta and practice street evangelizing (this will be a huge part of our ministry). I was pretty nervous, thinking about what it looks like to just walk up to strangers on the street and start talking about Jesus.

But one of the biggest encouragements leadership gave us was to soak the evening in prayer & worship. This act of “setting the tone” and “soaking the soil” before ministry is the MOST IMPORTANT PART of ministry. Asking God- asking Him to prepare the hearts of the people I will encounter, asking for Him to save people, & asking Him WHO- to open my eyes to the people He wants me to share Jesus with.

So that’s what my team did. We asked God to show us who He wanted us to engage with on the streets of downtown Atlanta.

And show us, He did.

A few of my teammates and I saw a man (Jose, we later learned) and felt prompted to just say hello. We saw him going into a restaurant and after asking The Lord, felt we needed to go in there. God actually had a few other assignments for us in that restaurant- I saw a lady sitting by herself and got to sit with her and pray with her. My teammates sat at another table, interceding for me and asking God to intervene in our conversation.

We thought that was the end of what God wanted us to do and we would not get to ever meet Jose. Moments later, we see him outside the restaurant- and after asking God, we felt we needed to approach him. The conversation ended up with him expressing his past hurt with the Church and us getting to pray with him. By the end, he was in tears. We were deeply moved by how God had set this night up.

After hugging Jose goodbye, we looked up and saw a bright, bold sign at the restaurant proclaiming: “this must be the place” (pictured above).

This indeed was the place. The place where God taught me the importance of asking.

This whole experience taught me that this is literally the call of a Christ-follower.

To live every. single. day. on mission for the glory of God, existing to share His name with those who don’t know. And that our greatest ministry & responsibility is to pray, asking God to prepare the soil and ready the harvest as we strive to plant His Word.

As my team launches to the nations this year, will you join me in asking God?

Ask for:

• Unity among our team- they have already taught me so much about being the Body of Christ
• To prepare our hearts and those we are going to minister to
• Open hands, willing hearts, & available spirits for God to do whatever He wants to do in every moment

Our team (“T-squad”) created a mission statement that goes like this: we treasure G.O.D. & fruit- Growth. Obedience. Devotion. Because God’s character is ultimately the source of what we desire to emulate & that He would produce the fruit of The Spirit in us. He is the TREASURE of our hearts.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find. Knock & the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7-12). The harvest is plentiful, & it is prepared by asking Him ~ to be a willing vessel & to bring more souls to knowledge of His glory.

As we enter this new year of opportunities to minister the Gospel & love the lost, may the cry of our hearts be to

                                     A S K.

 

keep on keeping on,

kenz💛