Hi, from the Salvation Army, you're listening to Words of Life.
Welcome back to Words of Life. I really hope you've enjoyed the past couple of weeks as we begin to focus on missions. Two weeks ago, we would have heard from a group of young adults who just got back from a summer missions trip. The first week, we heard from a group who went to Malaysia and spent time at a children's home, followed by a group who went to Norway.
If you missed either of these episodes, I really encourage you to go back and check them out. They were passionate conversations as we heard how these missions trips really made an impact in these people's lives. Across the entire world, there are people who are hungry for Jesus. So getting the opportunity to connect and partner with the local body of Christ in Singapore and in Malaysia was such a blessing. I was truly blessed through that and getting with the kids.
They have such open hearts, like just as Jesus said, like the harvest is ready, and the workers are few and just getting to see that like it's true. There's joy and there's love. That's where it is. And so yeah, so we've come from America. We came from all the way over here, all the way to your country. See how far away we are?
Look, there we are. After prayer time, I had like kids individually like come up and like they would ask for prayer and like they told me like their stories and some of the struggles. Yeah, like I even cried like during it because like these kids, it's just this connection, just this thing. And so the opportunity to be able to do this, it was incredible. So I was truly blessed in that. This week, we'll begin sharing a conversation with three people who discuss missions from very different backgrounds. We have a Salvation Army officer in Sandra Pawar, as well as two people who have really been shaped by the mission work that they've done in the past and Jesse Fagerstrom and John Avery. I really hope these conversations are an encouragement to you and your own ministries.
Enjoy. As women, we're pulled in every direction and we often put pressure on ourselves to do all and be all. We may feel overwhelmed or isolated and wonder, is it just me?
Do other women feel this way too? God hears her from Our Daily Bread Ministries is a community of women who through honest conversations, personal stories and biblically based resources encounter God's grace and flourish together as a sisterhood in Christ. Visit God hears her.org to experience podcasts, blogs, devotionals, and more that encourage us to lean on Jesus, the one who turns life's messiness into meaning.
Again, that's Godhearsher.org. Welcome to our group of very cool people that I'm excited for our listeners to get to know. We're going to be talking about missions for the next six weeks. And before we get into this conversation, we're just going to get to know this group. Please just kind of go around, say who you are and a little bit of your background or your experience with mission work, your passion for mission work.
Awesome. My name's Jessie Fagerstrom. I am a daughter of Salvation Army officers and I spent the majority of my childhood overseas. So we lived in Kenya for many years and then I finished high school in England. As an adult, I've continued to pursue missions. I've been able to lead groups overseas. I've also been able to oversee groups that go overseas.
So missions is really close to my heart. So I'm excited to be here today. Hey, I'm Sandra Pawar. I'm a pastor at a church in Atlanta and I'm from Australia originally. I have lived in New Zealand and London in the UK. My parents have been pastors in Papua New Guinea. And so I kind of feel like I come from a family that has served overseas and missions has been a part of our family. And so it's kind of in my blood. Yeah. So I feel like missions has just been who I am and me and my husband have kind of taken that on board as well. And so we're hoping that our kids take that on board as well.
My name is John Avery. I'm the Salvation Army Southern Territorial Social Media Strategist. And my experience with missions goes back to just after a couple semesters of college, I ended up going on a missions trip that was 11 months long to 11 different countries a month in each country. And then since then, I've also done a number of trips, more media focused since I do media now with video and photography. So that's kind of where I'm shifted off from them.
But it's definitely always been a passion of mine since that first trip. So the first question we need to kind of address is just what our missions and why is this something that the church as a whole should be invested in? I think most of us will point to the Great Commission. So I want us to start from Matthew 28. John, if you would read a little bit.
Yeah, absolutely. Matthew 28, starting at 16. Then the 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. As women, we're pulled in every direction. And we often put pressure on ourselves to do all and be all. We may feel overwhelmed or isolated and wonder, is it just me?
Do other women feel this way, too? God Hears Her from Our Daily Bread Ministries is a community of women who through honest conversations, personal stories, and biblically based resources encounter God's grace and flourish together as a sisterhood in Christ. Visit GodHearsHer.org to experience podcasts, blogs, devotionals, and more that encourage us to lean on Jesus, the one who turns life's messiness into meaning.
Again, that's GodHearsHer.org. You know, when you just read, like from the beginning of Matthew 28, and then if you then move into Acts, the two Marys go to the tomb. He's not there. An angel meets them says, go to Galilee. He meets them on the way. And then he meets the disciples in Galilee. And there's this immediacy that he's like, yes, I am risen.
Go do this. And poof, we're off to the races. We're in the book of Acts. The Holy Spirit is doing crazy things just like nonstop. And so how are we as the church continuing that fervor, that energy into how we're caring for the world and the people around us?
It's interesting. I think that when we talk about what are missions, I think it's important that we boil it down to relationships, right? Because we think about missions as going far away, and sometimes it is, and sometimes that's a really important part of it. But sometimes missions can also be in your backyard. And I think that it comes down to forming meaningful relationships with people so that then you can speak into their lives, right?
And you can be a source of truth for them and a source of strength for them. So for me, when I think about what missions are, it really comes down to relationships. Even when you go overseas and you're wanting to tell people about Jesus, it has to start with being in a relationship with them. I remember when we were in London and we were in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood and community, and we were forming relationships with the people in that community, and they were allowing us to talk to them about Jesus, but that was because we had a relationship with them. We had spent time in their mosque, and they had taken us around, and we were not trying to force Jesus on them. We were not trying to force our religion on them, but we were forming a relationship and a friendship with them, and we had spent time with them and their family. It was just all about the time that we spent with them. We were spending weeks with them, and so that is so important, that we're not just going in and doing a quick stop and blah, blah, blah about Jesus, and then that's it, and moving out.
It's about quality time. I love that you've already pointed out that we're going into places that don't believe the same way that you do, and we're not going in to fix them and just immediately tell them what's wrong. And this was actually something that I was going to mention a little bit later, but I think often, even just in my own community when I interact with a lot of non-believers, a lot of the work that I feel like the Holy Spirit and the words that I'm being given to say is also trying to do a lot of repair of maybe damage that has happened from Christian interaction that they've had before that maybe didn't represent Jesus as well as they could have, and I think certainly overseas and among other faiths that's crucial to keep in mind. We were in a very multicultural neighborhood in Australia. We were there to plant a church, and you can't plant a church without having a relationship with people. And in a neighborhood where we had people that were Hindu, people that were Muslim, you can't form any kind of church. You can't do anything without building a relationship with those people. And so we were spending Diwali with our neighbors.
We were going to birthday parties with people that were a completely different religion with us. But at the same time, our goal was not just to be friends with them so that they could be part of our church. We were actually very interested in them as people, and I think that that's a part of missions too, right?
Is that— We're not just checking a box. Yeah, it's like that Jesus actually really cares about those people as people. I think that that's really important too. I think it can be tough sometimes to kind of contrast that too with that immediacy that you were talking about too, because it's super important for people just to know who Jesus is. And you want to run up and just say, like, hey, this is Jesus. He loves you.
You should believe in Him, and everything will be all right. It's all kind of about context too and figuring out where you are and who you're talking to and building those relationships. But then also, I remember specifically when I was in Nepal, we were up in the mountains hiking through the Himalaya Mountains and just literally going door to door telling people the Jesus story. We didn't know these people.
They didn't know us. They just saw these people show up, and we were like, hey, there's this guy named Jesus, and he loves you. And through telling that story even, that's still powerful.
And we had people breaking down in tears thinking of the sin of the world, and they're like, what can we do to fix this? But it does, again, always come down to that relationship. What is your relationship with that person? Are they going to be receptive to something like just saying Jesus loves you, or do you need to build into that based on the situation around you kind of thing? I think it's also, relationships begin with yourself, right? Putting yourself in the right mindset and having the right kind of relationship with Christ. You can't tell other people about Jesus unless you are filled with His Spirit, right? And so, I think that when we think about what missions are, it's also a self-reflective experience where we first have to mine our own hearts for understanding of who God is and what He's doing in the world.
And it's only then that we can relay that to someone else, right? We want them to see Jesus in us first, before anything even comes out of our mouth, right? Thanks so much for listening to part one of our discussion. This will be a six-week series as we discuss all things missions from a Salvation Army perspective, as well as the church as a whole. You know, throughout these conversations, I think the thing for me that really stands out the most in this series is just a reminder that getting out of your comfort zone, getting out of your day-to-day, and doing work with a church body in a community that's maybe not your own is such a beautiful way to experience a fresh understanding of how God is moving and working in the lives of people around the world today. So, I really want to encourage you if you get the opportunity to do some type of mission work with either your own church or another church body, to really, if you can, take advantage of that opportunity. Because of course, we know our main mission, our main priority is the Great Commission and to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and make disciples in all nations. But at the same time, the work that will be done in you during that mission trip through that ministry is unmatched.
And the amount of empathy that I know we always come back from trips like this that we gain is just incredible for his kingdom. On our website, we'll have links to more information about some of the programs and ministries discussed throughout these conversations. So, visit wordsoflifepodcast.org to learn more and to learn how you can support the mission work the Salvation Army is doing around the world. If you have any stories of how mission work has made an impact in your life, we would love to hear from you. Send us an email at hello at wordsoflifepodcast.org or you can find our contact page on our site, which is again, wordsoflifepodcast.org.
Thank you again so much for listening and have a great week. God bless. The Salvation Army's mission, Doing the Most Good, means helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army. Visit salvationarmyusa.org to offer your support. You can subscribe to Words of Life on your favorite podcast store or visit salvationarmysoundcast.org. Join us next time for the Salvation Army's Words of Life. Thanks so much for listening to Words of Life. We want to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the show. Visit lifeaudio.com where you'll find dozens of other faith-centered podcasts in their network.
They have shows about prayer, Bible studying, parenting, and more. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time. Do you want to better understand the Bible and give biblical answers to those who ask you about your faith? Hi, this is Perseus Pokou, host of the Sound Reasoning podcast show. Listen to us weekly as we bring the truth often found in the ivory towers of seminary down to the steeple towers of local church. Join me along with many of the nation's top theologians as we offer answers to life tough questions from an apologetic perspective. Subscribe to the show at lifeaudio.com. The Historical Jesus podcast is the sweeping saga of the life and times of Galilean Jesus of Nazareth, as well as the faith, religion, and church founded to honor and disseminate his acts and teachings. Join me, Marc Vinette, on this fascinating journey through time exploring the many great works of Christian theology, literature, architecture, music, and art inspired by the words and deeds of Jesus Christ.
