Dear friends and family
My name is Micah Iqbal. I have been given an extraordinary opportunity to go and do missions in another context, the South Pacific! I am currently a student at Wake Tech, taking general education classes working towards an associate's in computer programming. I am finishing up my first year in this program. I love programming (I have 6 years of experience in it!) and tech. I would love to use my skills as a tool for God's kingdom work, but I am not sure if I want to take this route education-wise. I have considered other options as well, but nothing has quite fit. I have time this summer before school starts back in August, and I would like to take time and live on mission somewhere else. I also want to take this time to slow down, learn to love the lost in these countries, and learn to trust God in a whole new way! I will also be using this time to aid in my decision if missions are what I want to do long term, so this is what has led me to decide to use my summer to serve the people of the South Pacific!
Others who have done similar trips before me are part of the reason that has inspired this trip, but my main reason for going is for the sake of the Gospel and how it has transformed my life. I have experienced Jesus move in my life, forever changing me, but the next step from that was seeing Jesus's heart for those who do not know him. In verse 10 of Luke 15, Jesus explains, after telling the parable of the lost coin, that there is joy in God's presence and all the angels when just one sinner comes to him in repentance. Then he goes on to tell the story of the prodigal son. The son asks for his share from his father, and his father hands it over, and the son spends it in prodigal living and then returns to his father in guilt and shame over what he has done, and he repents. My favorite part is how the Father responds: "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." This is how the father responds to our sin: he welcomes us home with joy. Not only that, but he also meets us where we are. This is God's mission, that all would come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9) and knowledge of God's sacrifice and joy over sinners that come to him! God sacrificed his son so that he could be just and the justifier of those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26). I have been convinced that now that I have seen God's work in my life, and read about his mission, and seen his heart for the lost, how could I not share it?
I will be leaving for the South Pacific on June 4th (to go to training in Mentone, Alabama) with Nemiah Teams, and I will be getting back on August 1st, then home sometime after. I will be receiving training and encouragement while I am there and then sent off on June 9th. From there I will have a 24-hour flight (with layovers) to the South Pacific; we will be landing in a country in the South Pacific (if you would like to know more, please reach out to me at 9197574106 or shroramijusi@gmail.com) and then from there going to different countries in the surrounding region, collecting data on lost people groups and sharing Jesus with them. I will be a nomad for 7 weeks, living out of a backpack, not knowing where I will be sleeping or eating…and because of this, I will see first-hand God’s help and South Pacific hospitality. When Jesus says, "Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'" (Matt. 16:24), I will be feeling the crushing weight of what Jesus is asking all who would follow him; this is a task that only God can uphold me for, but I still need your prayers!
This brings me to ask you for your help; I cannot do this without the support of the body of Christ! I ask that you most importantly pray for me, pray that as I prepare, I would 1. love the people that I come in contact with and pray for their hearts. 2. that my love for Christ would grow as I seek him daily. 3. that I would experience his full joy (Psalm 16:11) in a time where loneliness can creep in and kill me from inside. and finally, 4. that I would pick up my cross and treat his mission as important and joyfully carry the Gospel to the lost people of the South Pacific! I also have another big task; I need to raise $4186.71 to cover almost everything. This includes $3160 for tickets, up to $600 for vaccines and immunizations, and $426.71 for required emergency insurance. I understand this is a lot to ask, but I know God can put things together and work miracles, so I am asking you to give whatever you can; even if it's 5-10 dollars God still uses that. But I understand if finances are hard, so I ask that you would do the most important part, which is praying for me on my behalf, as I go. I ask that you would carefully consider what I am asking and act on what God is leading you to do! I will be leaving an Excel sheet where you can write down your name next to the amount that you are giving (it is already written down 1-100) and your address and email so I can personally thank all who donate to me.
“My joy grows with every soul that seeks the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Remember, you have one life. That’s all. You were made for God. Don’t waste it. ― John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life
Your Brother In Christ, Micah Iqbal
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1du2cfj7cZwir8A5NLbOC7Wt9Uh1BQJnLDSNBxmpPwqk/edit?usp=sharing
