Page 31 - RiseUpWarrior

15 Serving another leader There I was standing out on the street corner, in front When God is preparing someone for the ministry, it of hundreds of people, translating for Pastor Lon Smith seems they often serve under someone else’s ministry as he preached to a crowd on a street corner in Sonora, for a time. There of course can be exceptions to every Mexico. He turned to me and said, “OK Kristi, give rule, but I have personally never seen God take someone them the altar call.” The air felt hot and stuffy and there and immediately give them their own ministry “baby”. were cicada bugs making a whole lot of weird noise. He always asks us to serve someone else in THIER Some kids played on the basketball court behind the ministry frst. This is an important part of the training, crowd, and there was dust in the air that I could feel in because we need to actually see some things frst hand. my lungs. Successes and failures of the person we are serving will help us develop into who we will become. I served my I must have been around 18 or 19 years old. I had never done an altar call before, but I had seen my dad, Mike dad in his ministry for 13 years before God gave me my Kangas, do them hundreds of times. In fact so many own ministry. During those same years, I also served in times, I thought I might be able to quote one from mem- whatever church we were placed; in Mexico, Russia, or ory, in Spanish, which isn’t my frst language. So I dove the USA. I learned a lot from those I served under. in, quoting verses and telling them how Jesus could save them that very night. It came time for the hands-up He always asks us to part, you know; the hard part. To stand there alone in front of the whole crowd and lift up my own hand and serve someone else in ask them to do the same. There was a silence and no one moved, and I stood there frozen, waiting, just like my THIER ministry frst. dad does. I continued to copy what I had seen my dad had done, quoting another verse and preaching a minute I learned how to give an altar call, I learned how to lead more. One more time into the breach, I raised my hand a team of Americans into Mexico for a mission’s trip, I and asked them to do the same. learned how to sacrifce my own needs for others, and I A painful pause followed. learned how to always take the harder road, and let the others have it easy. There was a silence, and then all of a sudden, some- one raised their hand. Then another person raised their One time I was assisting my dad with a team, and we hand. Then hands started going up all over the place. I had two vans full of teenagers. The event went great, was actually surprised that it worked! So I just copied people had come to the Lord, and we were all loading everything I remembered my dad doing, inviting the up to drive the 40 minutes back to the hotel. Just as ev- people forward to pray with me to receive Jesus into eryone had climbed into the van, something lit on fre in their hearts. I had them repeat after me, while I tried the front engine of the van! The van where I was riding to remember a good salvation prayer in Spanish. I had “shot gun”. I was so startled that I threw my diet coke only been translating for a year, and I didn’t have quite out the window and jumped out quickly. I was immedi- all the words I needed, but it seemed to work. I hadn’t ately sorry about my fresh beverage gone to waste. The prepared for that ministry that night, but I was grateful fre went out easily, and the guys went about to see what and relieved that I passed. had happened and if the car would start. Sure enough, 30