Practicing while we wait

This post was shared by Kyle and Marisa Heise (pictured below on the far left), who are preparing to move to Cebu, Philippines as full-time missionaries.

We recently completed two weeks of missionary training, and it was both eye-opening and life-changing. The training focused on changing our mindset as servants in the mission field and how to help others discover truths about the gospel in a relatable and easy way.

As training came to a close, we realized that with a few months before our baby arrives and before we leave for the Philippines, we didn’t want to simply wait for ministry to begin. We wanted to spend this season practicing what we’d learned so that it becomes part of who we are long before we board a plane. We challenged ourselves to intentionally begin practicing these principles now instead of waiting until we arrive in the Philippines.

Which brings us to—the DMV.

We were there for some routine paperwork, and thankfully, our visit went much faster than expected. But as we walked toward the exit, the sky suddenly turned dark. Everyone’s phones started blaring severe thunderstorm warnings, and the rain became so heavy that we couldn’t even see our car sitting about 30 feet away.

So, we waited.

While we stood by the doors holding them open for people and laughing about the weather, we struck up a conversation with a few people who were also waiting out the storm.

One man in particular was in a chatty mood, we learned about his life, shared some of our own story, and talked about struggles he was facing. He even encouraged Kyle to apply where he works. Eventually he shared about some health concerns and a doctor’s appointment he had the next day.

When the rain finally let up and we were about to head our separate ways, we told him we’d be praying for him before his appointment.

His face lit up. “God is good,” he said.

That simple interaction reminded us of something we heard during training that has stayed with us.

On average, a person often has thirty touchpoints with the gospel (or more) before they come to faith. In other words, it's a long game, filled with lots of seed planting and watering from multiple sources.

That statistic was incredibly freeing.

It reminded us that not every conversation has to feel like our one and only chance to share the gospel. Sometimes faithfulness simply means being one small touchpoint in the story God is already writing.

We don’t know whether we’ll be someone’s first conversation about Jesus, their thirtieth, or somewhere in between. But we do know that God is already at work before we arrive and will continue working long after we leave.

That interaction at the DMV may not have seemed remarkable, but it reminded us that God’s mission isn’t something that begins when we land in the Philippines. It happens every day as we live with His love flowing through us—whether we’re in Kenosha, the Philippines, or anywhere in between.