Sophomore | UCLA

Hello! My name is Sherine Kim and I am a rising third-year at UCLA. This past summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to go on a short-term mission to India. As God had allowed me to grow through serving Him here, I wanted to learn and witness how He was moving tangibly in other countries, and serve the faithful missionaries and churches abroad. 

And the Lord truly answered this prayer request in many ways. One central opportunity for me and my team was to build relationships with the missionaries and staff there, eating meals with them, and hearing many stories and testimonies. This glimpse of their lives and fellowship was a way to really see the fruits of the ministry God had grown. Especially at our home base in Jalpaiguri, we were able to be a part of their daily routine of 5 a.m. morning prayer, and understand their great love and dependence on the Lord in their everyday walk with Him. In a country where Hinduism is so prevalent and so many of His children are spiritually lost, I saw clearly how God placed each pastor and church member in each location with a heart to serve Him. 

Something that stood out to me was the sincerity through which these churches did outreach. Particularly at one of the younger ministries that we visited in the countryside, my team split off into smaller groups and went with a staff member from that church. Since the staff there did not speak English and we couldn’t speak to the locals, my teammates and I could only pray for each person that we encountered as he shared the gospel to them. It was clear through his tone and gestures that there was passion and sincerity in what he was sharing. But the reactions of the different families we met were of belittling amusement, indifference, or annoyance. 

It felt as if there was no purpose to the words he was speaking, or the desperate prayers we were lifting up — how could God allow fruit to grow when it seemed there was no room for seeds to be planted? As we continued walking in the neighborhood, passing the Hindu shrines in the backyards, I prayed to God that He would allow me to see these people in heaven one day, that He would move in ways that were greater than the short trip had seemed to be. Later that evening, one of the staff members shared his prayer request for his family, who did not understand his devotion to serving the church and mocked him for what he was doing. It made me realize how much these faithful servants placed their trust in the Lord to provide for them and give them peace despite other circumstances in their lives. And although there was no immediate fruit of their efforts to spread the Word, that’s not what they were doing it for — but rather to obey the command that God had given them to serve the people of their local village, who without this church would have very little opportunity to hear the good news. 

At our home base in Jalpaiguri as well, the staff was devotedly spending their time visiting families each week. The family that I visited had a daughter who was serving at the church. They were very hospitable and kind to us, serving us chai twice as we shared a devotional and prayed over several requests they had. As we were heading back, I asked our translating staff member if they were Christian, because they had been so receptive to us reading the word and praying over them. He told me that they were not believers; they believed in the stories and Bible messages that we shared to be true as part of the deities they followed in Hinduism, but not that Jesus Christ was the one true Savior. When I asked whether he ever felt discouraged, because they continuously visited and prayed over many families without seeing God change their hearts completely, he responded that yes, of course they became discouraged. But that, regardless of whatever reaction – cold or hospitable, curious or indifferent – God loves all these people, and they should equally have the opportunity to learn about Jesus. 

That simple truth made me feel that I was lacking that love and desperation for others around me back home. In these ministries in India, the members are serving at church with such sincere hearts, praying every single day for their neighbors and villages in which many do not believe in Jesus, and actively carrying out the command that God had set before them to make disciples. In that way, they showed how much they believed that God could work mightily through their efforts, placing their trust in Him to grow the seeds that they planted. I believe this trip was a precious opportunity to learn about growing a desperate and prayerful heart for those around me, as well as centering my own life to seek Him. I want to continue having a prayerful posture and trust that God can work so powerfully through efforts on my own campus that might seem small or mundane, as well as have a sincerity for God’s children here and abroad. I also want to keep India in my prayers, that God will work powerfully within the country to protect His children who are faithfully serving there, and allow so many more to be touched by His love and grace – that even with obstacles and government changes, that this country can continue pursuing Him and coming to know Him, and that many more will be sent out to witness His steadfast love and mighty hand.