Every Wednesday afternoon, we take a break from our office
jobs and do field ministry. We have the opportunity to choose from three
different ministries: high school, Disney world, and campus (University of
Central Florida). This week, we got a taste of the first two; we’ll be tabling
at UCF on Monday!
Field Ministry at
University High School
On Wednesday, we went to University High School armed with
Soularium cards and pizzas, ready to engage students in conversations about
spirituality and the gospel.
It was really encouraging to see how open many of the
students were to the gospel and willing to talk about spirituality and faith.
Very different from back home. It was also really cool how the high schoolers
very young in their faiths wanted to start Bible studies for their sports teams
and share Jesus with their friends and teammates. I pray that their passions continue into the rest of their lives!
Also, if I end up doing field ministry at the high school, I
would have the opportunity to tutor math! Exciting 😃
Field Ministry in
Animal Kingdom
At first, I was quite skeptical about doing ministry in
Disney World. Wouldn’t it just be attempting to speak to people, and then going
on rides? I was sorely mistaken. Cru at Disney World is so much more than
asking questions and having fleeting conversations with people. Disney World
employs more than 80,000 cast members (Disney’s fancy name for its employees),
and about 16,000 of those are internationals, people from all over the world.
Disney hires internationals to represent and talk about their countries, and many
are from countries that are closed to the gospel. While we cannot openly share
on Disney grounds, the goal of the Disney field ministry is to build
relationships that we can take beyond Disney ground and share the gospel or
disciple the cast members we meet.
Robin and I talked to Mark, a cast member from Fort Portal,
Uganda (all cast members have their hometown written on their nametags). I
approached him because I was there last summer! Before coming to Disney, Mark
worked in the tourism industry for five years and is well acquainted with the
national parks and tourist spots in his home country. After giving his usual
spiel about Uganda, it finally registered that I had been there, and we connected
over the places I had visited, the local food I ate, and the little Luganda I
still remember. We did not have a spiritual conversation or share the gospel,
but I pray that God uses this encounter to tug at his heart. When we said goodbye,
he commented, “Hope to see you on the streets of Kampala.” (Kampala is the
capital of Uganda) It didn’t cross his mind that we might see each other again
at Animal Kingdom (if I decide to do Disney for field ministry!). But
constantly saying goodbye must be painful, and it explained his detachment and
distracted attitude throughout our conversation. It reminded me of the way Job
said goodbye to us when we left Sipi Falls last summer.
Nevertheless, it was really special that God was able to use
my obscure experiences in Uganda to connect with another of His image-bearers. Robin
and I prayed for Mark on the way back to our gather point. Mark reminded me of
all the Ugandans I met last summer, particularly Edgar and Bashir (more stories
in Tugende Together). I miss them.
What made me even more nostalgic about Uganda was the ride
Safari, which we went on at Animal Kingdom after we finished field ministry. It
reminded me of the real Safari in Uganda. Disney made a nice
attempt, but to be honest, it was like riding through a zoo. Not that it’s bad;
it’s just fake. I was also a little frustrated with the way Disney portrayed
“Asia” and “Africa,” but that’s conversation for another time.
Asia?
Don’t get me wrong, it was still a wonderful day. We saw the
Festival of the Lion King, rode Dinosaur and Everest, and ended the day with
Flight of Passage, the Avatar ride that usually has lines upwards of 2 hrs. We
only waited for 45 minutes.
More Fun!
On Friday, we spent the day airboating at Midway and hanging
out at Canaveral National Shores. We rode on the St. John’s River (the only
river that flows north, other than the Nile) and went gator huntin’! Just
kidding, you need a very expensive license to hunt alligators. We did see one
small alligator on the ride and got a glimpse of what swampy Florida looked
like before civilization. It’s beautiful!
Swampy Florida
At the end of the excursion, everyone took turns holding an
alligator:
It's a Small One
My Happy Place
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