Use Your Gifts

I took a leap of faith in 2020, leaving behind a teaching career to be the Video Production Director for School to the Nations. Although I had little prior filmmaking experience, I knew God was calling me to this ministry. In June of 2022, our small team from School to the Nations traveled to Ecuador to film a complete adaptation of The HOPE film for the Afro-Ecuadorians, an unreached people group.

I felt like I needed a lot more experience before directing an entire film on my own, so we planned to bring three different team members who had filmmaking experience. However, through various circumstances, all three were not able to go. If I'm being honest, I doubted my ability to successfully direct an entire film with our small, inexperienced team in a different country with limited access to materials. However, I am still in awe of how God guided us and how He led us to be able to film everything we needed in three weeks. I needed all hands on deck, and my team stepped up. At the end of the trip we were full of joy, but exhausted.

One of our tasks was filming some of the church services that were taking place throughout the week. What surprised me was that the IMB missionaries whom we worked alongside were in their mid-60s and leading or assisting with seven church plants each week in different locations. Preaching, leading worship, Bible studies, discipleship, evangelizing, teaching youth, setting up chairs, cleaning up, and more were just some of the many things I witnessed them joyfully doing at each one of these churches. To reach one church, we drove for over an hour up steep grades and narrow roads. The final obstacle to get to this church was crossing a river by foot and then trying to walk up a steep muddy hill.

As the Bible tells us in Matthew, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” I’ve been to four countries on mission trips and countless American churches, and the need is the same. We need workers!

I would encourage all of us to continue to pray this prayer: “God, how can I utilize the gifts you’ve given me to serve You?” I know there are needs with kids, tech, and many other ministries around any church.

“God, how can I utilize the gifts you’ve given me to help get the Gospel to those locally and around the world?" Pray for opportunities to share the Gospel with a stranger, friend, neighbor, or coworker.

For world missions, we always say three things - you can pray, give, go. Pray for missionaries. Give to support missionaries through the Global Impact Fund. Go to these countries and assist these missionaries with their work.

These are not "check off the box" tasks. We are all called to be a part of local and international ministry if we are believers (Matthew 28:16-20). Have an open heart to what God is calling you to be a part of, and let the Holy Spirit lead you.

Speaking from continued personal experience, God doesn't always call the most qualified person. He calls the willing! There are many examples of this throughout Scripture. No matter where you are as a believer, keep listening to God, spending time with Him and other believers, and serving to advance His Kingdom.