Living Sent in South Asia
Serving with for all mankind movement
Nathan Taylor
In May, a group of eight from First Baptist Starkville partnered with For All Mankind Movement (FAMM) to serve in a spiritually dark region of South Asia. FAMM’s playbook is to have teams like ours join with local pastors and translators to engage villages with prayer, care, and clear gospel conversations. Through these encounters, we connected with some wonderful beacons of light and witnessed several spiritually dark moments that were seared into our minds and hearts.
I was challenged in my prayers with and for others. At each house and sometimes simply walking through the village, people would ask us to pray for them. Some were straightforward: safety for children, a wife’s diabetic issues, or the need for a new job. Others were heavier: an alcoholic husband, a kidnapped child, and numerous miscarriages for a childless couple. Desiring to pray God’s Word over each of them, I was convicted that I did not have enough of that Truth in my heart and mind. Nathan’s words are pale compared to God’s holy, inspired Word.
Savannah will share about connecting with the women in villages. Both she and Annabeth Keel were rockstars in South Asia. The amount of compassion and care they showed was beautiful. Whether holding five-week-old twin babies or sitting in a group of ladies encouraging them through a Bible story, these moments from our week are special memories.
At the end of each day, we led a “compassion kit” party. FAMM puts together these kits and includes basic hygiene supplies, a shirt, and a toy or two for kids. We told a series of stories during these parties. The first was “our story,” as we would share how Jesus impacted our life. The second was the “hook story,” a New Testament account of how Jesus changed someone’s life. We would wrap up with the “gospel story.” Beginning with the story of Zacchaeus, followed by basic gospel concepts and details, we had the great privilege of pointing people in these South Asian villages to Jesus, the way, the Truth, and the life!
Our time in this South Asian state was fruitful. God is absolutely at work in that place; however, there is one particular reality that Micah will share—the enemy is real and active. That fact should not scare us. It should embolden us! That is a prayer of mine, that I would love God and desire to represent and serve Him more than I am scared of or distracted by the enemy.
First Baptist family, thank you for joining together on this trip so we can all be a part of living sent.
Savannah Hughes
In America today, Christianity is often surface-level and not as personable as we may think. Through my experience with the believers in South Asia, I saw the church rejoicing over one another’s salvation. In America, rejoicing over one another’s salvation is less frequently celebrated. It was common to greet with “Praise the Lord” because they understood we came with the Holy Spirit. This solidified our oneness in the body of Christ for, “there is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Eph. 4:4-6).
At first, it appeared as though there was a strong language barrier between the women and me. I was worried, knowing our translator could not be in two places at once. However, after witnessing how these women relied on the Spirit, I no longer felt the language barrier hindered us. They relied on the Spirit so much that, even without understanding me, they listened to me pray for them, knowing the Holy Spirit would speak to their hearts.
My own walls began to break down as the women graciously invited me into their personal space., allowing me to make chai in their kitchens, play with and hold their children, and pray over their homes and families. Many of those women were leaders in their community: Sunday school teachers, children’s ministers, and worship leaders. I remember the wife of one of the pastors we met, guiding me through the village all day with her arm around me, introducing me to her friends. You could see all over her face how proud she was of her church family. Later, she asked me to sit close to her as she led worship, and I was amazed by how beautiful the song was and how she gave her all to worship the Lord. Even while holding her very restless toddler, she sang as hard as she could. Like her, most people we visited had given up everything to be a Christian.
Many lost their status and families by following Jesus, but how they worshiped showed their joy in Christ had made up for every worldly loss. It was incredible to see them praising the same God we praise across the world. Those moments made the space between the U.S. and South Asia seem so small.
Although I thought I did not have much in common with these women, the Lord used every moment to remind me that we had everything in common through the cross. I was so encouraged by how they selflessly served God and others. Philippians 2 continued to be brought to the forefront of my mind while I watched them serve in their homes and churches. It reminds us that we should serve others as Christ served us.
Micah Stockstill
When going on mission trips, I always think, “how is God going to use me?” I plan on being the tool God puts to work, but sometimes that is not the case. Sometimes, God uses these trips to work on you so that you can become a better tool for the future. My trip to Southeast Asia in May 2023 was such a trip.
I can credit this change to one experience during my week there. It was our second day in the field, and we were doing our typical house visits. We would go into a family’s home, talk with them, tell them an encouraging Bible story or a story from our walk with Christ, and then pray for them. About halfway through the day, we walked up to a home that was not so different from all the others. The family, as every family was, was extremely hospitable, friendly, and kind, so there was nothing out of the ordinary. They welcomed us into their home, and after they served us drinks and cookies, the wife began to tell her story. Just a few words into her story, something began to change. A “darkness” came over her, and she seemed to have no control over what she did. We quickly realized that the enemy was oppressing this gentle woman, and we were watching it face to face. We did not know what else to do but pray. And pray we did. As I watched her, I heard every one of my team members praying softly and fervently. And as suddenly as the darkness came, it was gone thirty seconds later. The woman seemed like a new woman, giving the girls on my team the biggest hugs you have ever seen. What I thought had been big smiles and joy when we walked up were nothing compared to what she expressed when we left.
As we left, I talked to my translator, and he said something I will never forget, “The darkness cannot stand to be in the presence of Jesus.” When we walked into that home, it had to flee. There was nothing we did, no words that we said, for it was Jesus with us, and the enemy could not bear being near Him. This moment radically changed my view of God’s power. I grew up hearing there is power in His name, which there most definitely is, but there is just as much power in His presence. He Himself is truly enough.
Seeing this woman struggle and hurt increased and deepened my hatred for the enemy. I have seen the fruits of Satan through sin in my life and throughout the world, but seeing the spiritual warfare face to face helped me understand our adversary’s complete evilness and wickedness. The devil is real and wants nothing good for us. Seeing someone overcome by darkness and not having a choice in it let me see, from a different perspective, the freedom Jesus offers and His love for us.
I was reminded that day that light never flees from the darkness. No matter how hard a shadow tries, it can never snuff out a candle flame. And Jesus is so much more than the flame of a candle. He is a roaring fire, a sun, and He is with us. Why should we ever fear what the darkness throws at us?