Behind the Scenes

Not long before we launched Hope Alive Church in Japan, someone asked me what my job title was for the church. While that should have been an easy question to answer, I found myself not knowing what to say. “Missionary” wouldn’t make sense to our Japanese church people. I looked around at others working alongside us, and it was clear to see exactly what their roles were and the titles that go along with them. The all too common voices of discouragement and inadequacy began to fill my mind. Perhaps my work was all too insignificant. However untrue these lies were, it took a lot to refocus on what God had called and equipped me to do. I have discovered that while the translation work, preparations for Sunday service, Bible studies, scheduling, reporting, newsletter writing, etc., that I do each week are all important, God has also given me the supporting role for the work of my husband. I get the opportunity to take care of so many things that must be done every week related to our family and work so he can have the focused time he needs to prepare his sermon in two languages.

However, more importantly than all of this, I have come to understand the greatest role I can play behind the scenes is that of prayer. Through prayer we have seen God do unimaginable things! We must have prayer as the foundation for everything we do. We cannot know what God is leading us to do in ministry if we haven’t spent time seeking His face. We must trust that this background work of prayer is not the least we can do; it is the best we can and must do to see great things happen for His glory.