Student Reflections - J. Christy Wilson Center for World Missions

Reflections from students

Last night I prayed on the rooftop.  As I looked over the noisy city of Bhopal I felt overwhelmed by the immensity of the task that lies before the Church.  How could we possibly reach all the people with the Gospel?  What about all those people who die every day without hearing the Gospel?  Why has God chosen to work in this way?  But tonight I felt very different as I prayed again on the rooftop.”

Psalm 67: ‘May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.  May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.  May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah  May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.  Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.  God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.’
During the devotional meeting tonight, I realized that God has been very good to me, he has delivered me from my sin and struggles.  Shouldn’t I want to extend this goodness to others?  Isn’t this worth committing one’s life to?  ‘May the nations be glad.’  This phrase, that Matt had drawn my attention to, came to mind as I started praying.  The nations are not very glad at all right now.  India is developing but it is still going through a lot of pain.  Only the Gospel of Jesus can make them glad.  Last night I had thought about the millions of people yet unreached and how difficult that task seems.  But I realized tonight that, as others have said, just because they are unreached does not mean that they are hostile to Christianity! They just have never heard!”

There are many, many people who would love to hear and embrace the Good News that Jesus brings.  And when his servants ‘preach’ the Gospel, the Holy Spirit works in the hearts and minds of the hearers and observers.  Many Muslims come to faith through dreams of Jesus in conjunction with Christian witness!  God has obviously not left us orphans – if he left us, then I would be justified in saying that the task is impossible.  But the Spirit is working powerfully through the Church and he will continue to do mighty things through her.”

—Hanno van der Bijl, OMP Participant

This is a picture that was taken about three weeks into our trip, in a Shan village we were staying in for a few days.  Michael, our missionary friend, took us to the side of this road one day, and began to explain the picture we saw before us.
The road on the right, as you can see, was dry, hard, and bumpy.  It was, in a word, unpaved, making it very difficult for travelers. Michael explained to us that this road was being prepared to be paved, and that our prayers would do the same for the hearts of the Shan – hearts that have been hardened by centuries of idol worship, hearts that have been dry and thirsting for freedom from fear of spirits that would harm them – hearts that so desperately need the good news of Jesus Christ.  Our prayers would pave the way for the Gospel to be planted in their hearts.  And as Michael went on, we began to realize that prayer was not just the first thing we do in missions; it’s the first, second, and third thing we do in missions.”

—Hae-Rin Choe, OMP Participant

Overseas Missions Practicum (OMP)

An opportunity for Gordon-Conwell students to travel around the world where they can learn to serve the poor, share their faith and network with Christians from a broad spectrum of other cultures and church traditions.

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