BONUS EPISODE: “Harvest” & River vs. Boulder

In the previously unheard moment, "Harvest" (a longterm alumna missionary to China) gives a surprising answer to Jon's question about potential risks and backlash to being discovered as a missionary.

Missed "Harvest's" previous episodes? Enjoy below!

• How I Got to China ("Harvest" Part 1) - Apple, Spotify
• Meeting Jesus in Mandatory Quarantine ("Harvest Part 2") - Apple, Spotify

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Creators & Guests

Host

Jon Steele

Jon Steele, a 2011 InterVarsity alumnus from Minnesota State Mankato, lives in Mankato, MN with his wife Kaitlynn and their two daughters. He’s been on staff with InterVarsity since 2012 and has been hosting After IV since its debut in 2020. He is also the producer and primary editor for the podcast. Jon enjoys gaming, reading, and leading worship at his church.

Guest

"Harvest"

"Harvest" is an Augustana College alum who does full-time missions work over seas. Her identity is hidden on our episodes for her protection and the protection of her coworkers and community.

What is After IV?

Hey, InterVarsity alumni! This is After IV, your podcast for navigating life after graduation. This is both an exciting and potentially tricky transition you’re making and you might feel a little unsure about the coming weeks and months. We’re here to provide you with expert advice, practical skills, and plenty of encouragement as you learn how to keep saying "Yes!" to Jesus in your new context. This is After IV, and this podcast is for you, alumni.

After IV
BONUS - “Harvest” & River vs Boulder
 
Musical Interlude

Interview

Jon Steele  0:05  
We've circled this a little bit that there are some like legitimate risks that are being taken in all of these different sort of points of ministry. Can you just share a little bit about like, what are the risks that are being taken and what's the potential backlash? Because I think some of us sort of we can sort of build up in our minds like, Oh, this is what it's like to be a, you know, a missionary in an unsafe context or whatever. But whatever is actually shareable. Can you share just a little bit about what that risk looks like?

Harvest  0:34  
For us, we haven't really faced any serious consequence, but it's more a quiet warning of polite warning. When we go when we've met in certain places. Later on. We've been given a message by authorities in some way, shape or form that you shouldn't be meeting here. And so that tells us number one, they knew we were here and number two, they just want us to move along. And in those moments, often I'm actually thankful and I say Wow, Lord, thank You that we got this warning message. We didn't have a you know, breaking down to the door or anything like that. It's a warning message. And so for us it is it's a teaching time like I feel like as a learning time for us to be again, be flexible. Just move along, comply. I mean, if it's something nobody's ever said to me directly, you aren't allowed to do X, Y, or Z. And if that day came into my face, I was told you cannot do that, I believe at least right now. I will comply, unless I knew from the Lord to do so. Otherwise, yeah, I am a guest in the wonderful country of China. I have a work visa and a residence permit. I'm a guest and I'm super thankful that I'm welcome. And I work within this context, right? I'm not there to do something so radical. I'm here to bless the nation, and to work with my tiny brothers and sisters to bless them and bless their nation and support them in how to live out their faith in in Christ in this context that where there are certain kinds of restrictions. I feel like in all of the COVID time I kind of had a picture in my mind of if you had like a rushing river and you took a huge boulder and you plopped it in the middle of that river. What would the river do? It would flow around the boulder, right? All over the world. We face different kinds of restrictions and boulders in the road, but the move of the Holy Spirit will not be forwarded by something like that. I mean, there may be like in the natural there may be restrictions that is not going to stop what the Lord is doing. And so I feel like for my part, like I just want to stay moving with the Holy Spirit. I don't need to like hack away at that boulder. That thing out of the way. Yeah. I say like, Lord, can I kind of flow with you? And so in the context that we have in each city is looks a little different in China. How can we as believers continue to meet together and do it in a respectful way of each other? And hold tight to the Word of God and trust the Lord and then if we're told don't meet here, and we won't, we'll just like go on another date with another place so we'll break into smaller groups. That's kind of our learning right now. And my my hope is that in the days to come, if it does get more and more difficult, my brothers and sisters in Christ will have over this time period, grown in this kind of unique and particular muscles to know how to say, well, we can't do this, but we can do that. So let's keep holding fast to the simple things we're going to meet together and fellowship we're going to read the Word of God, we're gonna worship we're gonna pray and we're gonna trust and learn to follow the Holy Spirit. I've always felt like if my friends and myself included if we can learn to study the Word of God on our own, and understand it, and if we can learn to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, this is it. You know how to walk this path. looking intently enter the word of God understanding and apply it to my life and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Any place I find myself any country in the world, any context I find myself in any difficulty or ease any moment, I have the tools from the Lord God Almighty, and you know His Spirit in me to guide me through to how you want sponsor me to live. Because you know, it's the Lord's work. It's not mine.

Jon Steele  4:17  
I really love that perspective, because it really does take us out of the driver's seat. And it removes our own self importance of like, well shoot, if I don't keep finding a way to make this happen, then it's not going to happen. And I'm sure that the Lord like lovingly just sort of laughs and shakes his head is like, “Oh, Jon… It'll be okay. If it's time for you to go somewhere else. It'll be okay. I've got your context. It's gonna be fine.”

Podcast Outro – (Upbeat acoustic guitar music)

Hey, thanks so much for joining us today, Alumni. If there was anything that you learned, really enjoyed, or that encouraged you from today's episode, would you send us a DM or tag us in a story? We'd love to hear about it. You can find us @afterivpod on Instagram and Facebook. And if you haven't already, take just a second to unlock your phone and subscribe to the podcast. If your platform lets you, leave us a rating and a review. And if you like what we're doing here, share us with your InterVarsity or other post-graduation friends. Thanks again for listening. And I will see you in the after, Alumni.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai