‘I don’t know if I can do this’ was one of Steve’s first thoughts as he walked passed the graffitied walls of the grimy streets he and his family would now call home.

In God’s strength and by his grace they have found they have had amazing opportunities to love, support and pray with those they serve in East Asia.

Steve and his family once found their home in comfortable suburbia in the UK, but now live and work in a poor area of a city in East Asia. Most there do not know about Jesus and the life he offers. Steve, his family, and their team long to share this life with their neighbours.

As the team develops grass-roots initiatives to transform lives, they believe there are two sides to the coin when it comes to gospel work. They seek out opportunities where practical work can bring real change and improve the lives of those they live and work among. They see that loving the poor in meaningful and practical ways is written throughout the whole of Scripture and has a depth and value in God’s eyes that we will never truly understand. On the other side of the coin, the team seek to proclaim right relationship with God, through Jesus.

Steve explains:

‘If we see our practical work, by a miracle, be very successful and people coming out of poverty and no one knows Jesus, then the work isn’t done… likewise if we see people coming to faith and relationships being transformed… but people were still living in shanty towns and breathing bad quality air and burning plastics… then we would say our work is not yet done.’

Remembering these two sides to effective outreach can help us, wherever we are, as we seek to truly love the communities around us.

Hear more…

You can hear more about this story by listening to Episode 11 of the Serve Asia podcast where we interview Steve about his life and ministry to the poor in an East Asian city. To listen, search for ‘The Serve Asia Podcast’ wherever you get your podcasts from or listen online here.