Not Buddha?

Over the last three weeks I've been participating in an investigative Bible study with internationals through my church in Vermont. Two years ago I never thought I'd be writing that sentence! In my group were four Chinese women and an Indian woman. Two of the Chinese ladies are only here for one year as a part of a scholar exchange program. LJ has only been here for 3 weeks, and BL only 2 months. Both ladies left behind husbands and young children to do research here in the US. Three of the Chinese women (LJ, BL and N) were very new to the Bible and to Christianity. Our leader explained from one of the verses that "Christ" meant "Jesus" to which N said, "But who is Jesus?".

At the end of the study the host gave a summary of what we had talked about since the ideas were very new and all the teaching was done in English, also very new for some of the women. She said,
"We used to have a close relationship with God but then Adam and Eve disobeyed and that relationship was broken. Now we are separated from God. Jesus brings us back to God."
"Not Buddha?" N says.
"No, Buddha does not bring us to God."

My heart pretty much broke at that moment. Here was N, never having heard of Jesus before, believing that Buddha was the way to God (this is actually not a Buddhist belief at all. Buddhism is atheistic). This was the world view that had been presented to her. It wasn't really that she was closed or hostile to Jesus, she had just never heard of Him before. She apologized several times for not understanding the Bible and not really knowing what we were talking about. To my surprise and joy, N came back the next week to study the Bible again. All of the Chinese ladies are coming back again this week for another time of studying the Bible.

I am amazed at what the Lord has been doing in our lives since coming to Vermont. Moving here was the least "strategic" move I thought we could have made. I wanted to be across the globe doing CP cross-culturally and instead we moved to the most homogeneous state in the US. It didn't look to me to be a step toward "the field". The first year here, instead of looking for opportunities, I stayed in a stubborn, critical attitude about everything VT. Yet in my weakness and defiance, God has been opening doors and opportunities for international ministry right where we are. When I was grieving the "death of a dream" God was reviving my heart for missions. He is showing me that there are people here, today, who He wants me to share with, and that these experiences are teaching me important lessons about witness, overseas or in the US.

I am a planner and I never thought Vermont was the plan. But God shows me over and over again that while man makes plans in his heart, the Lord directs his steps (Prov 16:9). He is teaching me that it is more about faithful obedience than world-changing adventures. There's nothing wrong with desiring big things of God, but God is reiterating to me that world-changing adventures can't happen without faithful obedience.