Jonah grew up in a Christian home with godly parents who didn’t just teach Jonah about Jesus but also lived it out in their life. It was in High School where Jonah’s faith grew into something more personal. Jonah went on a mission trip and it was on that trip where God opened his eyes. He witnessed the brokenness of the world to which he was sheltered from. He also witnessed how God works in the brokenness. When he got home, Jonah knew he was all in for God and His kingdom purpose.
“The mission trip affected my future plans,” Jonah shared. “I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was just trying to get through High School at the time but what God did on that trip changed my perspective. It’s no longer just school and college but my future and how I was going to use that future for God’s mission. That conviction pushed me into medicine. The medical field. I now saw broken, and I wanted to fix it. I saw others in it and around me in a different light.”
After graduation, Jonah started college at Creighton and got plugged in with Citylight’s college ministry The Salt Company (Salt). Throughout that first semester, Jonah heard about global serving opportunities with Salt.
“As I got to know the people and team, I really wanted to do something with Salt,” Jonah admitted. “In the beginning, it was more of the people at Salt who I wanted to go on a mission trip with. As I got to know how mission trips work, especially the team to Thailand, I became more convinced. God put it on my heart for something bigger and more challenging in my life.”
Three months out from the team leaving for Thailand, Jonah applied. Once interviewed, Jonah’s eyes were opened to what the team would be doing. It was going to be challenging! With his faith and support from his parents, he was encouraged and excited to step out of his introvert self and into a big and new opportunity.
“I really wanted to see God work in a new way,” Jonah exclaimed. “I wanted to get out of my comfort zone socially. I’m kind of an introvert. I don’t speak Thai. I have to confess there was some embarrassment or shame at the thought of messing up.”
The team landed in Thailand for a ten-day outreach where they partnered with a local church to meet college students at a university, invite them to a local church’s activities and build relationships with them. They experienced the local church on a Sunday morning and served other ministries including one that ministers to the Red Light District in Bangkok.
“It was good motivation to get out of my comfort zone and out of my shell,” Jonah described. “One of the major eye openers for me was that the Thai people are so nice and genuine. I was comfortable to social circumstance.”
“Another thing God revealed to me was seeing firsthand the brokenness of the world. I’ve never been out of the country nor have wanted to. I now understand we are so blessed in the U.S. The world needs God. I didn’t realize how many people don’t know God. There is still work that needs to be done. Here in the U.S. for sure, but in the world. Many don’t know Christ and who need him. Other people need to hear about him, and to know him. I had the assumption that Americans know him or of him, but the world is not like that. I now have the realization that there are people who need to be found, and have the willingness to want to be found. Out there they want to know it and they are looking for it and searching for it. They just don’t know. I want to be that light.”
There were many more moments, ideas and people Jonah met and experienced. The global team Jonah travelled and served with is one of them. There were many opportunities to connect and grow with the team.
“The team’s willingness to connect and be vulnerable helped us to then connect and serve with others well,” Jonah confessed. “It truly impacted our success there. Some of the girls on the team connected with a particular person. It took a whole day to connect with them and that person’s willingness to come and meet with complete strangers was encouraging. It is a celebration of success there and hopefully the leaders in Thailand can continue that relationship. That would be an impact not just for the person but for our team!”
The team got back to the States in early June with a new awareness and outlook on the present and the future. Jonah is thankful for this global experience and all the gifts God has given him.
“One is the global team from Citylight,” Jonah reminisced. “It is a big and amazing group. The leaders on our global team were so helpful and supportive. Two of the people I served with I didn’t know very well but I got to connect with them on the trip. One of the guys too and hopefully we will continue that friendship. Another is the Thai leaders. They were amazing. I pray they continue and I want to support them and hope for more opportunities. Their heart for the nations has opened my eyes to the people. They are not judgmental of the person, but see them as God’s child. They have helped me by giving me an understanding to be on mission wherever I am. Their heart for the people and having that heart no matter who they were or to who they encountered. It really was cool to see and inspiring.”
With this new awareness and outlook, Jonah’s plan for his career has changed too. He still wants to be a doctor but is now looking at it differently.
“I want to use being a doctor as more of an opportunity for mission work,” Jonah suggested. “Not just to help people physically, but faithfully and spiritually. Having that missionary heart as a doctor and practicing as a medical professional, not just helping people physically, but also spiritually. My mission field is in the hospital room and being open to seeing them not just as a patient, but as God sees them.”
Global work is to experience what Christ is doing. In the midst of discomfort, being willing, and to see how he sees. Global work gave Jonah a glimpse of Christ and to join with Him in pursuing others.
“I experienced Christ by helping and through the people he has helped,” Jonah concluded. “Physically going, being with them and seeing them, and pointing to Jesus. We can do that here in the U.S., but in a different culture it is way different. Being out of my comfort zone God worked in me in that discomfort. It was an opportunity to get more uncomfortable and by being uncomfortable is where God became more comfortable.”
Going to the nations for Jonah taught him to dependence on God in actually following Him with his life. By leaving his comfort zone, his life grew in comfort as he trusted Jesus. He now wants to bring that to broken people he serves on future global trips, but also to his future patients as a doctor.
One primary focus of our short-term trips is learning as we catch a glimpse of what Jesus is doing, both here in my neighborhood and among the nations. And our desire is the result would be a life-long “mission trip” wherever we are at. Jonah has future steps in this journey, but for those interested in going on a similar trip like Jonah, please reach out to us! Email Luke, our Global Missions Director, at luke@citylightomaha.org.