NET Missionaries share Glory Stories, which are moments of grace they experience while serving with NET Ministries.

Building Relationships

By brian donaldson | Team 12

We had just arrived at our new host home for the week. One of the first things I noticed was a 7th grader, who I remembered meeting at the last youth group, playing outside in the backyard with his little sister. After being greeted by the family, I was compelled to take the opportunity to go outside with two teammates of mine to throw a football around with him. I thought for sure that I was jumping into everything much too quickly, but I mustered up enough confidence and still went for it.

Opening Up

I asked him about the things he likes, and he mentioned his love of space and his passion for solving Rubix cubes. I was thrilled that he had opened up about his hobbies and felt comfortable talking about his life. Since the team had some other things to attend to, my teammates and I went back inside shortly after.

Bringing God into the Conversation

My next real interaction with him was after dinner. The host home and the team were on the deck in the backyard finishing dinner when he began to talk to me about space and its mysteries. We talked for a long time about the universe, how God has a place in it, and why God created everything around us. During the conversation, his face would light up with idea after idea, and his smile became contagious.

Fruit of the Work

The best part was when he and I ended our conversation by talking about how God is good. It can be difficult to jump into the lives of others sometimes. But because I intentionally pursued him, the result was an incredibly fruitful conversation. I walked away knowing the Lord had used me in a special way I could not have foreseen.