What you are looking at is a replica similar to one of the very first compact recording devices in history! And guess what? It was created for Joy Ridderhof, a Christian missionary in Honduras! It was created to spread God’s gospel! Isn’t that so amazing!? I’m sure maybe some of you are like, okay, so what, Margarette? Just keep reading.
If that’s not amazing to you, take a look at this picture:
Joy Ridderhof is the founder of Global Recordings Network, an amazing nonprofit organization that creates recordings of the Gospel and the Bible in different languages from all across the world! This is just a glimpse of all the files GRN has of each language it has translated the Gospel into.
Let’s take a step back and see how many this really is…
This is where God really blew my mind. They have translated and distributed the Gospel in over 6,000 languages. When I saw this, my heart stopped and my jaw dropped. God provided for His gospel to be translated this much! And it’s still growing. I was just so filled with awe and just wonder at how God has been doing work in this organization!
Today, I went job hunting with a friend who lives near me, a fellow grace&peace always blogger, Chris. In the midst of trying to figure out what we’re even looking for, we decided to look into nonprofit organizations in our area. As we stopped into Starbucks to look on our phones for job opportunities with them, we came across Global Recordings Network. And in an advent to see what it was really about, we ended up driving down the street to their building.
There we got to meet Irene, a lovely godly woman who “happened” to come in at the same time that we did, and she gave us a tour (happened is in quotes because truly, it was all God). As we stepped in, and got taken around, I was immediately just captivated by how God was truly working and moving in what she was sharing with us.
This is a map of all the areas they have locations in. Oh how I wish I had taken my real camera in! You can’t really see all the light markers, but it’s really grown globally! And again, it started with a vision God gave Joy as she worked in Honduras and was faced with a situation where she didn’t think she could go back into the missionary field. SO AMAZING. God has truly been working through these brothers and sisters in Christ who are really obeying His great commission.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
It was so humbling and encouraging to see how God is working in so many different ways that I’m not aware of to proclaim His glory. (Well of course Margarette, right?) It was crazy to see how He led us there and gave us this opportunity to see His work, and even gave us volunteer opportunities to see Him at work in this organization first hand.
So why is this here in this blog?
- For one, this is definitely an organization to pray for. There are so many brothers and sisters out there in the world helping to make these recordings and spread God’s word!! And they need our prayers! Pray for the missionaries! Also pray for the people! A big and important part of spreading the gospel is found in prayer, and asking for God to work in their hearts!
- This really challenged me to evaluate how I am working in furthering God’s kingdom and sharing the Gospel. To be honest, I know that I am lacking. Challenge yourself with this question, too! We have been called to this Great Commission, too! We don’t need to travel the world to do it, we can do it wherever God has placed us, too!
- It really opened up my eyes to God’s work all around the world. It was such a huge encouragement to see Him moving and working all around me! It reminded me that, obviously, God’s work isn’t only in me, and those I know and talk to, but He is working and he’s active in places and in people I haven’t even heard of. That in perspective really reminds me of how big and how great God is.
Something that really humbled me by this visit was something that one of the staff members we had the pleasure of meeting shared with us. He told us that working within this organization are several capable, talented, and blessed individuals who could very well be making a “good living” working in larger companies, making the “big bucks.” But several of them dedicated their lives to this cause and have worked there for over 30 years. They chose to glorify God in this way, instead of looking for something that was more financially stable. When someone joked that they weren’t “rich,” he laughed, and stated something that was a huge reminder to me: Our riches are stored up in heaven.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
Matthew 6:19-20
It’s cool to see that while I was job hunting, God really reminded me of this. It was like He was telling me, “Margarette, I know you’re looking for a job to help you financially save up for the future and other things to come, but remember not to get caught up in the money aspects. Don’t make that your goal and aim in life, as you are told to by the media and the world around you. Focus on your mission here on earth to spread the Gospel and be a light to the World wherever you are. Real riches that will benefit you in eternity is not found in anything here on earth. Serve Me in all you do. I will provide you with what you need.”
So here I am blogging with you what God has crazily mind-blown me with today.
I just encourage you all to really meditate and pray on Matthew 6:19-20 and evaluate your hearts in what you “treasure” in life. Sometimes we need redirection or refocus in areas of our lives that maybe we haven’t given back to the Lord. Sometimes this requires us to reconsider where our hearts are in our work life–or our search-for-work-life too.
I also just challenge you to think about Matthew 28:18-20 and see how you are being a light to the world and spreading the love of Christ.
Lastly, pray, pray, pray! Pray for Global Recordings Network and their ministry for God! :)
Happy Wednesday!!
Grace & Peace,
Margarette
P.S. To learn more about Global Recordings Network and how you can help pray for them or see volunteer opportunities, visit their website at http://www.globalrecordings.net/en/. :)
Grace & Peace Always 