I have attended every KCM Missions Rally Night ever since I joined KCM my freshmen year. All I knew and heard about KCM’s MRN was that previous goers were going to share their missions testimonies. I personally have been to a couple of mission trips through church in high school, but this was the first time seeing a missions movement outside of a church setting, in a parachurch ministry.
Every year, I heard countless numbers of testimonies about collegians’ experiences of their mission trip through the STSM program. I attended to the various teams displaying their trip, ranging from countries like Greece and Japan that were engaged in more relational ministries to countries like India and Nicaragua that were filled with VBS ministry.
One of the highlights of MRN was listening to these stories and testimonies of the STSM trips. While I was hearing stories and testimonies from the South India trainees, they talked about the need of the Gospel in the country. The dark presence felt in South India was so prevalent. They talked about the different idols displayed in the streets, having animals roam around in the streets, etc. The STSMers continue to mention the physical idols of the people in India. They believe in these false idols and worship these false idols. Seeing the people in India taking up physical idols made me realize a difference in America. Although America does not uphold idols that are physical, people in America uphold idols that are ideas like success, money, sex, power, relationships, future, etc. Thinking deeper, I began to realize – what difference do we have in America than the people in India who uphold the physical idols. After that MRN, my heart grew even more for those of us here in America, the people around me, the Christian brothers and sisters around me. We are surrounded with idols around us and we tend to forget that. I believe that the enemy is deceitful and purposely exposes these types of idols instead. After MRN, my heart definitely grew bigger for the people around me who are bombarded with such idols.. I believe God called me to the business field for a reason- to be a minister in corporate America. Though I have not gone on STSM, through MRN, I believe God gave me a bigger heart not just for the global missions but even for the local missions in my workplace.
I did not cultivate this heart by just sitting at home on the couch, of course. I believe God has shared a glimpse of His heart because I prayed for an open heart. I was curious about what God was doing in other parts of the world. I was open to see the movement of God in India, Greece, Cambodia, etc. I believe that God is calling all of us to first be open to wherever He calls us. We must submit our lives and our hearts before our own desires. Once God sees our open heart, God can work many miracles whether it means you go or send. I personally have been able to send students on overseas missions and I really believe it’s because God has called me into a season of being a sender. In other seasons, He may call me to go, but as long as we come to God with an open heart, He will use you in might ways, and even give us new heart for the nations, as He did with me at MRN. I want to challenge whoever is reading this article to steer away from having a fixed mindset that limits your path to one route. I want to challenge us all to have a willing and open heart and see how God can speak at MRN! Come to MRN and see, but please come with a prayerful and seeking heart!
