Breaking Down The Four Walls: How To Rebuild

What comes to mind when you think about the word CHURCH? Perhaps the Vatican or Notre Dame? Perhaps the four-walled building that you attend on Sundays? For many years and up until last year, the building I attended every Sunday was my definition of church. It wasn’t until I started building a personal relationship with God and serving at my local church, did I truly understand what church really meant. It by no means is limited to the four-walled building you attend on Sundays; it is beyond that.  The bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the head of the Church, the Church is His body (Ephesians 1:22-23) and that we make up Christ’s body (1 Corinthians 12:27).

When I started going to VOUS Church last year, I started serving for the first time EVER. I wanted to be part of the church instead of just a spectator of church. In addition to serving with the Administration Team, I started to get more involved with church by attending our bi-weekly small groups, called Crews. After I joined my Crew and the Administration Team, I began to feel like I was part of the body of Christ. The community I built at church is what Church is all about; being with like-minded individuals that speak life into you, serving together to further the Church and the Kingdom of God, serving your local community together through our outreach programs (ex. Our monthly I Love My City). I had to breakdown the four walls of my mind and had to rebuild my perspective of what church really is because it is beyond the four walls of a building. I was built to be a church because God’s spirit is within me.

When I started the World Race, I was REALLY sad to leave my church community back home. To be honest, when I was assigned to my current World Race team back in August during training camp, I had a bit of speculation on how close I would get to my team. The person I connected with most of my World Race squad was not even on my team.  This filled me with so many mixed emotions and fears, but I just trusted God that it will all work out! Fast forward, to the end of month one of the race and all of those initial mixed emotions and fears have been completely filled with excitement, love, understanding, intimacy and most importantly a lot of revelations along the way.  My team became my Church!  They became my family! The unity we have on our team has grown so quickly; it is now sad to think that we will eventually be split up (still praying and hopeful they won’t split us up). Watching my team love, seek and be so bold about God is so inspiring and admirable.

During our time in Huaraz, Peru, we partnered with AWI Ministry. Our weekly activities included multiple trips to the market to promote and sell the newly promoted bible in Quechua and other Quechua literature. Little did we know that these trips to the markets were so much more than selling stuff. Our team lead would always encourage us to pray for God to reveal to us who to talk to or pray for.  One of the days we were at the market, my teammate Zach, saw an old lady walking with a cane down the street of the market. He grabbed me (because I needed to translate for him) and we started running after the lady. After we prayed for her, she was VERY touched and started crying. She was grateful that we prayed for her because she started feeling better and because she sensed God was close to her at that moment.  I was personally touched because it reminded me how one prayer and one hug could impact someone’s life so much.

Another day at the market, we sang “Nothing but The Blood” in Quechua. After we sang, a group of four ladies selling their herbs came up to us and asked us to pray for their health. Some were dealing with migraines that day, some leg pain, some knee pain, some back pain, etc. After we prayed for them, they started feeling better and they decided to accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior (Woohoo!!!). The entire time we were at the market that day, we had a line of people waiting for us to pray for them. As we were leaving, people were chasing us for us to pray for them or their children.

Wow! This was so special! I am truly living the great commission as stated in Matthew 28: 19-20, “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.” These experiences at the market really put into perspective how much people want and need God. Just a simple song, stating “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” convicted people to want prayer. This whole experience makes me so humble because I have this great opportunity to be on this mission trip for the next 10 months. (Special thanks to you and all of my supporters!) However, I also want to encourage everyone that you do not need to be a missionary in another country to live out this great commission. You can be the Church and spread God’s love/ gospel in the comfort of your own state or country. You have been placed where you are for a purpose. You too can spread God’s love and the gospel with your spouse, your family, your co-workers or even at the local homeless shelter. I encourage you to get up and become active in the Church instead of a spectator. And by know you know I don’t mean the four-walled church you attend some Sundays a year, you are the Church everywhere you go. 

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Love,

Ana