Vancouver 2025 Day Five
By: Jacob
Today was the first day of ministry on Salt Spring Island, following our travel day yesterday from Vancouver to the island. Ministry here on the island looks different than our previous ministry in East Hastings. Instead of sharing the love of Christ through prayer with people and running services, we’re now spreading that same love through our actions of practically serving others. This contrast of serving has given me a better understanding of what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Showing people the life changing power of Jesus is not so much about what you do but rather having the heart to meet people where they’re at and serving with an authentic love. Grant, who is a missionary on Salt Spirng Island has continually preached to the team that authenticity is one of the most important aspects of ministry when serving the community here on the island. The love of Christ should flow abundantly out of us through our conversations and actions, it isn’t something we have to push on people but rather something that will shine through us, as we step into who God has called us to be. A verse I’ve been meditating on with this principle in mind is Matthew 5:14-16 where Jesus says,
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
The light of Christ cannot be hidden, whether praying with the unhoused people on the streets of East Hastings or scrubbing the fence of the fair grounds on Salt Spring Island, the light we have in Christ will shine bright for others, glorifying our Father.
With all that said, today our team split up today into 3 groups and spread out to different parts of the island. The tasks varied all the way from weed whacking a neighbor’s lawn to scrubbing the fence of the local fair grounds. Everyone on the island was extremely caring and grateful towards our team, suppling us with the best of the best food and drinks. After serving for the day our team met back up and debriefed each of our experiences. The team had a fruitful day of ministry, being given the opportunity to have conversations with people in the community about faith, seeing prayers answered, and overall, just having a productive day of work.
The Lord continues to provide, protect and bless our team through this mission’s experience, and I personally can not wait to experience more of God’s goodness and grace as we continue to rely on Him through everything. Hopefully this blog gets posted on time, but who knows, we’re running on that B.C island time.
