A Prophetic Word from a Pig Farmer

At the end of last year I decided to book a Prophetic conference. I went myself and did not invite friends to go. I just went. I knew I had to.
As those of you who know me, you know that I find being a home based missionary hard. I have often wondered how a home based missionary gets a break.

Things got to breaking point the week before the conference. I decided the only way to take a break was to actually do it. With no time scale in mind.

So I arrived at the conference, with relief and uncertainty.

When I got there I wondered if there would be faces I know.... in one way that is nice but in another way I just wanted to be me.

On the second day I saw someone from my mission organisation. I thought I would say "Hello" but at the same time I did not expect word would have got out that I was on Sabbatical.

So I said Hello.

The person I knew was talking to people I did not know. There was a kinda awkward moment where the man she had been talking to asked me what I did.

I hummed and hawed for a few seconds as I explained I lead a team of missionaries but I am on sabbatical.... so I guess I run a business as a dog walker.

The man and I started to chat about how dog walking is just as much part of my ministry. It helps me to  grieve. It is also a way people connect with me. It is a way I connect with God.

The man laughed.

He said I know exactly what you mean, I am a pig  farmer these days. My daughter dog walks and she started that after a traumatic time.

Infact, I felt God has spoken to me about dog walking. Can I share it with you? Can I share this word with you, and see if it resonates with you?

Of course you can.

You are going to think this strange, it involves dog poo.

Okay, I said, let me be the judge of that.

The man, (we will call Mark) proceeded to say this.

As a dog walker you follow an animal and pick up mess. It is not your animal, so you are essentially following this dog around picking up someone else's mess. It is not a job that most people would do. It is quite literally something that could get your hands messy. Some people may even turn their nose up at you, as its a job that is menial.

You are not afraid to roll up your sleeves and get into the everyday mess of broken people's lives. You are community focussed. You care about people.
You do a kind of ministry that some people would not care to do. It may look small to some people, maybe even insignificant but it matters because people matter to God. Some might look at your ministry and think "What is that?" It's not big and brash and glossy. You are not afraid to work with brokenness and the down and out. The people on the fringe that could be lost or missed. You are at the heart of what matters.

I laughed.

"Isn't God good?" I said.

A pig farmer talking to a dog walker about servant hearted ministry. (You really could not make this up.)

I know some of you may read this and think "What?"

But I look at this and I smile.

I smile because God knows me. I smile because no more than 48 hrs before this encounter I decided to pause what I was doing. Tired and disillusioned.  Just to run my business for a bit.

Then Mark comes along with this insight. He does not know me, yet he spoke into the what was relevant at the time.

It most definitely resonated with me.

We parted company, a fleeting encounter, yet a meaningful one.