Well, it’s here—2019 that is. The countdowns have occurred across the world. The sheet music for Auld Lang Syne has been tucked safely way, waiting for next year when it will be pulled forth once again to strike nostalgia and hope. One season of hope, the Christmas season, has passed, giving way to a new season of hope, the Resolution Season. Can you hear people rushing for new gym memberships, diets, social media fasts, and the like?
Honestly, I’m not really a resolution kind of guy. As a matter of fact, one problem that I have with holidays is that we often use them as a day to remind us to behave in ways that we should every day. Ok, maybe I’m a Grinch, but shouldn’t the things that are special to us about the holidays be part of our daily lives? I suppose I am an idealist Grinch.
What I love about the New Year, though, is the feeling of an entire year in front of us. We stand at the beginning of the year with hearts full of hopes and dreams for what will come in 2019. As Field Director of OMS Hungary, a lot of my hopes and dreams have to do with ministry. In my last post, Looking Back, I shared about how God has worked in our team this year, and the growth that we have seen. Now I’d like to share a few reasons I have hope for the ministry in 2019.
My hope in God at work
Christ is our hope, and this year we have hope for the future because God is already there working to grow our faith and His kingdom. Our faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Further, we read in scripture that God is preparing works in advance for us to do. Whatever 2019 brings, we can rest in the knowledge that there are no surprises for God. He is already preparing for us to arrive at divine moments this year.
My hopes for our team
Teams aren’t just groups of people working together. Many people have been part of “teams” that fell far short of being a genuine team. Real teams are groups of people that believe the same things. They want to do things together, work together, achieve common goals, and look out for each other.
Every day, I feel privileged to work with my team. The members of the OMS Hungary team are uniquely talented, gifted, and passionate individuals. Rain or shine, win or lose, this is my team, and I am confident that we can overcome anything together. When I think about the 13 people we have in country, and realize that we have five more coming this way, I feel encouraged. Working with such people gives me hope that 2019 will be our best year yet.
My Hopes for our champions
A champion is a person or church that takes on the mission that we hold and contributes to its success. Over the past few years, we have seen champions rise up around our field. From Florida to Northern Ireland, we have been blessed by repeated engagement in our ministries from those who’ve taken our mission and made it a part of their year.
Some of our champions are now becoming team members, while new individuals and churches are expressing interest in joining our efforts. When I consider how many amazing people and communities God is bringing into contact with Hungary, I have hope that our ministries this year will be blessed by the investment of our champions.
My Hopes for our partners
When we started working towards our new vision, I didn’t know if anyone would join us. But God has brought several Hungarian churches and organizations around us. The potential that we see is immense and my heart flows with gratefulness for the godly men and women that we work with. For some of our partners, we’re the only foreigners that they work with on a regular basis. Being accepted, valued, and partnered with is an honor for us. When I consider all that God has done through our relationships and look toward the future, I know that great things are coming.
In 2019, we will get to once again see kingdom growth in Hungary. When God, who has already been at work, brings together our talented team, our passionate champions, and our ministry partners, the devil had better run and hide. Please stay tuned to our website, Facebook pages, and Instagram to see more of how God is at work in OMS Hungary in 2019.
