Looking back, I think our last day in Bangladesh was the most difficult for me. To my surprise I had been able to take in the sights, sounds, and intensity of everything pretty well. However, that final day I felt heaviness upon me and I was unable to sort through and compartmentalize anything. I was upset and couldn’t change it. I was craving justice for the oppressed and felt completely helpless. I selfishly wanted to spend more time there, but knew I needed to be back in Billings. The faces of the children were pressed upon my heart, the voices of the people echoed violently in my mind, and the thankfulness of the people we came to serve confused me. What had I done? These men and women were the ones to be thankful for! I had come for only a few days, these were the laborers, the harvesters, and the servants reaping the fields. Their work was ushering people into the Kingdom. I could not be more thankful for them and their work for the glory of God.
On our final day we were able to visit a treatment facility located next to the main office of Bangladesh Youth for Christ. This was a safe house for men who desired to overcome addiction and experience God’s redeeming grace, which conquers all temptations and bindings of this world. After a tour of the home, we gathered in the entryway and one of the men picked up a guitar. He proceeded to pick at the strings a gentle melody, and appeals to heaven were made as the song, “We Shall Overcome,” reverberated on the walls and cement floor:
We shall overcome; we shall overcome,
We shall overcome someday.
Oh, deep in my heart I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.
The Lord will see us through; the Lord will see us through,
The Lord will see us through someday.
Oh, deep in my heart I do believe,
The Lord will see us through someday.
Although most of the song was sung in Bengali and I had little idea as to what was being petitioned, I wept. As the tears came down my face and as this song became a prayer and plea for liberation, I could not stop the cascade escaping my eyes. The realities of the week had hit me. This harvest is truly plentiful! It is constantly growing and constantly fading away. It is in need of labors and harvesters to come in, empowered by the Spirit, to reap the fields! It is our calling as the Church; it is God’s remarkable method for His name to be made known; it is the very command Jesus gives His disciples; and it is the Great Commission. This pressing reality had been made known to me, and I frantically cried, “Will all this work get done? Will these people be redeemed? God, I can’t do it all!”
I wept. I sat out on the balcony of my room, completely torn. I have always seemed to rely on my own strength and ability to do things. I have always been one to take care of myself and while I’m at it, I can take care of everyone else, too. I like to do things by myself and on my own. I was the girl in school who hated group projects. Not because I don’t’ like to socialize, but because I would much rather do three times the work and get it done “right” and my way. I was the girl who prided herself in the fact that I have supported myself since I turned 18. I was the girl constantly seeking approval from others and who thought taking on the world and its problems made me who I was supposed to be. However, Christ isn’t glorified in that. I think for the first time I realized that. Bangladesh was an incredible reminder of the need of God’s grace in my life and the need for my identity to be secured and established in Him and His work on the cross.
God spoke to my heart that day, and with much compassion He said to me, “Brittany, you can’t do it; apart from me, my grace, and my work on the cross you can’t do anything. You need to accept that as truth. It is by my grace you are able to do the will of the Father. It is through me and my grace you are able to overcome and change. Only through me, nothing you do, fix, or accomplish will ever beat that.”
So, will all this work get done? No. Until the Kingdom of God is fully established there will always be work, the harvest will always be plentiful, and there will always be poor and needy among us. This coming Kingdom is of great hope, however! It is here there will be no more pain, no more sadness, no more hardship, no more fear, no more hunger, and no more unrest. The adopted sons and daughters of God will be brought into the heavenly fold and will be protected and guarded by our Good Shepherd. That is why we, as disciples of Jesus Christ, need to be ushering people into this Kingdom. We need to tell others about the incredible grace that Christ showed us. This is the only way to redemption. The gospel is the only way to experience this coming Kingdom. We need to be God’s ambassadors to the nations as well as to our neighbors, our classmates, our families, friends, and our community. This is the great message of hope! I am incredibly thankful for this trip to Bangladesh. I am blessed to have met such a great team of workers who are laboring for this coming Kingdom. They are incredible people and servants of the Lord. What hope they bring to the men, women, youth, and children of Bangladesh. I look forward to another visit soon! Praise God for His work and for calling people unto Himself.
By Brittany Anthes
