India (MNN) — Have you ever wished you could participate in missions, but felt under-qualified? Has feeling like you’re not up to the task kept you from going? If you said yes, you’re not alone.
“Most people ask me, first of all, I have nothing to offer, I’m not a counselor, I’m not a pastor, I’m not an evangelist, I’m not a Sunday school teacher, so what is it that I could bring to an India Partners team?,” says Kaytie Fiedler of India Partners.
But the skills you need are much simpler. If you can smile, show love, provide prayer, and of course, blow up a balloon, Fielder says you’re perfect for the job. As for understanding a new culture, India Partners won’t leave you hanging.
“What we do is provide the training and the cultural information, all the support you need getting ready to go in country so that when you show up, you do have a really good sense of how you’re going to be used on a team.”
(Photo courtesy of India Partners)
Each team meets and discusses how best to put their gifts to use. From worship leader to organizing kid’s crafts, there’s a spot for everyone, and it varies based on the team.
Each trip takes about 14 to 16 days, and features two main mission fields.
First, “we work with an organization that deals primarily with anti human trafficking efforts” in Mumbai.
“These really precious, precious people are going out into highly volatile areas every day, reaching out to a population that is very hard to reach and sharing God’s love with them,” explains Fiedler.
Next is the more rural villages.
“We’ll go on and work with one of these rural ministries and we’ll work with children, we’ll go out to villages and work in their churches that they have planted in these very remote villages, we’ll encourage the local Christian community.”
Fiedler says that even as teams try to impact those in the cities and the villages, many times the life-changing experiences work both ways.
“We make all of these plans to go and bring our teachings and trainings and bring all kinds of what we think will be really inspiring and new information…. And what happens in return is [we see] the way that people are living and working as Christians in this country is so difficult.”
(Photo courtesy of India Partners)
For many Indian believers, their faith comes at a cost and defies generations of tradition. Being a Christian means pain and a complete reliance on their Father and King.
“When they have nowhere else to turn, they are turning to this God that someone introduced them to that said, ‘If you follow Me, if you put all your trust in Me, I will meet all of your needs, I am a good Shepherd, I will never forsake you, I will always be there as your Provider.’”
They have a trip coming up in November, and they are still looking for participants.
Want to get involved? We’ll connect you right here if you want to apply for a trip or get involved with a donation. But, before you even take that step, remember to pray.
Fiedler says, “I just ask that those of you that are called to intercede, that you’d focus on the leadership for those organizations, that God would continue to supply them with all of their physical, spiritual, and mental provision that they need to continue to be able to do the job.”
