Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: FINISH (05/26/16)
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TITLE: Running a Marathon | Previous Challenge Entry
By Robyn Harbour
05/27/16 -
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There was so much need in the country we were serving in and we had been taking on too much. The children in the squatter’s settlement had very little. Noses ran with constant infections and flies lived on the edge of sores on their arms and legs. Many families did not have enough to eat.
The children loved the program I ran each Tuesday afternoon. They often arrived before I did and were eager to hear about Jesus. Only a few went to school as education was not free. Most parents did not work and there was no welfare so I wanted to make their life much better than it was. I would go without so I could provide some comfort for these children and their families. If I saw a need I would try and fill it.
Spiritually the church was a mile wide and an inch deep. There was much need for good teaching and my husband took on every invitation he was given to share Christ. This included preaching in the churches, speaking at conferences and pastor’s retreats. This ministry was extra to our main role, both teaching at the Bible College, preparing young men and women for the ministry throughout the islands.
We also raised funds for water tanks and first aid posts for villages in the outer islands. Spare time was spent researching and preparing for the next speaking engagement plus preparing for our daily classes. Often we would turn off the computer late at night, we seemed to have no down time for ourselves as a couple and were constantly tired.
Our supervisor had been a missionary himself and read between the lines in our newsletters. He saw what we didn’t see; that we were sprinting along at a fast pace and heading for burnout. The email brought balance into our situation. We could not do everything. We needed to remember that we were running a marathon in ministry.
I read a story about a little boy on the beach surrounded by hundreds of stranded starfish. He was throwing them back into the ocean one by one. A man came along and said, ‘why bother? There is no way you could throw all these starfish back before they die from lack of water.’ The boy replied,’ It matters to this one’ as he threw another starfish back into the sea.
We decided that we would ask God to show us what he wanted us to do and leave Him worry about the rest.
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