In October, Anna Wachter, Jarred Liow, and I had the privilege of serving on our 2023 Navigators trip to South Asia. Thank you so much for your prayers! God certainly answered them for our safety, good health, and opportunities to share about Jesus. While I wish I could sit across the table from each of you to share all the stories from the trip, I’ll provide a glimpse of our time there.
You may wonder, “How was your trip?” I would describe it as enjoyable, enlightening, and complex. In South Asia, you encounter various expressions of religion and worship, whether in temples, idols, the call to prayer five times a day, or vibrant celebrations for different gods. Unlike the Western world, where spiritual realities often go unnoticed, South Asia is fully alive and aware. This challenged me and served as a reminder of the urgent need for the gospel worldwide. All nations and people groups need to know God, echoing Jesus’s prayer, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).
My question to both me and to you is: How are you living with this urgency and sharing Jesus with the various people groups in your context?
I’d like to share a story about P* (name not mentioned for privacy), a non-believer in Jesus. Anna, Jarred, and I had the opportunity to have dinner with her family on our last day in South Asia. We had interacted with her brother throughout our time there, as he led our tours around the city. Anna had engaged in spiritual conversations with P* on her previous trips to South Asia. During our dinner, Anna reminded P* of a question she had asked three years ago, and we learned that P* has about 65 questions about Christianity on her phone. After addressing some of her questions, I asked her, “Let’s assume you got answers to all these questions, and you found out that what you’ve believed your whole life is a lie, and Jesus is, in fact, God. What would that do for you?” She responded, “Nothing would ever change my belief.” I admire her curiosity in Christianity, and I pray that God uses that to bring her into His kingdom. Please join me in praying for P*, that her heart would be softened towards Jesus and His gospel.
As I transition back to the United States after almost eight years in New Zealand, I want to express my gratitude for your prayers and support. It’s been a privilege to serve here and witness the gospel advancing in the lives of students in New Zealand. My prayer for each of you is that you live with the urgency to share the gospel with your friends, family, and others you know, and to be bold in doing so. May God use each one of you to make disciples of all nations, whether in New Zealand or abroad, for a lifetime. That is my goal as well!
Until next time,
Kristina Wagner