A Reflection by Crystal Reimer

            

As an introvert, I enjoy the quiet. Shhh... listen right now. What do you hear? I hear a fan blowing, water rushing through pipes, and every inhale and exhale I breath... this is the time I use to recharge my “social batteries”. You may ask “Crystal, you nut! If you enjoy the quiet, why are you living in community housing? Aren't you going Mad-Hatter-crazy?” In a word: Nope! It is astounding how God will provide for all of your needs as you walk in His will for your life. Within the six weeks I've been a part of Trek, God has continuously reinvigorated my “social batteries”, provided for all the funding I need during the nine month program, and opened my mind to expand upon the Biblical knowledge I already had before coming here.

I grew up in a small village of about five hundred people in southern Manitoba. Coming from a rural area, and settling on the very edge of Winnipeg's north end has been a big adjustment. How did I get to a place like this? The answer is simple. All I did was say, “Here I am Lord, use me,”and after a few weeks God told me to join Multiply's Trek program.

I wasn't sure how strong my connections would be with everyone during training, since it only lasts for two months. Similar to when I was at university, my mentality was “Do I really want to invest time and energy in putting up posters on my wall, only to take them down in a couple months?” (Aka, when I'm at Trek, do I really want to form friendships when I know we'll all be scattered around the world in a couple months?) The Holy Spirit has opened my eyes to understand that this is a worthy investment of time, energy, and space in my heart. I've grown to love the community I live in!

When I signed up for Trek I expected to learn about Thai culture and it's national language during our training sessions. I didn't realize that I was totally mistaken. The training process is more like a short term at Bible School; it's packed with applicable information that I'll use in my personal life at home, and my working life while in the mission field in Thailand. A novel could be written about all the information I've learned during my time here, but I'll just share a few highlights.

One highlight was learning about how to evangelize to others in the communities we're living in. Many people are not interested in listening to a Bible verse, but if it's presented as a story, it's engaging, and non-threatening to a secular world, (similar to Jesus' use of parables). Another lesson that stood out to me was about placing our identity in the hands of God. I struggle with consistently having my identity primarily as a child of God, instead I identify as something different practically every day. One day I'm more focused on my identity as a daughter, another day I'm a dishwasher, and on another I'm a teacher. I expect to continue with this struggle while working in Thailand, due to the language barriers and cultural differences I'll face. There will be difficulties in communicating my own opinions, thoughts, and interests with others, but I'm glad that I'll always be able to share them with God as His beloved child. I've also been growing in understanding that I'm not of this world, instead I'm a citizen of Heaven and God has given me a temporary visa, so that I can work on earth. John 15:19 “...As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.” Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven.” 

Throughout these past weeks, a new boldness has arisen in my soul. I've taken many opportunities to talk to people on the street, listen to their stories, offer them some food, and pray for them. I also feel more sensitive to the Holy Spirit as I continue to grow in obedience (to act or speak when it tells me to do so). One of these incidences happened after an unpleasant afternoon. On this day, a fellow Trek participant (Liam), and I had just returned to the Flatlanders Inn after running an errand. We noticed a prostitute at the corner across the street, and Liam suggested that we go and pray for her. As we were walking over, a man in a car pulled up a little further down the street and the woman got in. We were literally seconds away from starting a conversation with that woman and possibly preventing a dangerous, abusive situation. We both felt gutted that we were too slow. Late that night I was still bothered by our missed opportunity; suddenly the Holy Spirit told me that it wasn't too late. I could still do something. So I blessed that corner in Jesus' name. I commanded it to be sanctified and for God's goodness to be evident in that place. The next day Liam and I stood on that corner, laid our hands on the building and blessed the area one more time. Earlier I would often see people standing at that corner. After blessing it, I've only seen a handful of people. It was not through our power, or conviction that we blessed the area; it was by the Holy Spirit's prompting. Through the power of Jesus' name and in his authority, we gave glory to God that day!

It is my hope to continue growing in my understanding of each aspect of the Holy Trinity, and who I am in God's eyes. Whether I'm at home, or in Thailand, it is my desire to bring our Heavenly Father glory, and to draw others into our family by sharing the good news of our salvation through Christ.