Missions: Testing Your Mettle

Set your affections on things above; not on the things on the earth.

Colossians 3:2

Part Three: Bend or Break

Every veteran missionary will tell you that the key to surviving missions work is flexibility.  When you commit yourself to missions (whether career or short-term), God often chooses to take you in a direction that you never expected.  A willingness to defer to His plans, rather than yours, can make all the difference in the world.

For example, last year my husband, Alan, was invited to lead a week-long evangelistic crusade in Belarus.  During the week, we would immerse ourselves in the community; inviting everyone we met to attend the crusade.  At night, Alan would preach and I would serve as a counselor for women who came down to receive Christ.  We purchased our airline tickets and renewed our passports (which would be expiring in a few months).

Since Belarus requires a visa, we prepared our paperwork and, about a month before we were due to leave, we sent our passports and documents to the Belarus embassy in Washington, DC.  When two weeks passed without word, Alan called the embassy to get an update.  He was told that our passports and paperwork had been mailed back the day before because the necessary documents from our Belarusian contact had not arrived!

Alan called the Belarusian pastor who had issued the invitation and he told us that there had been a delay at his end and that the paperwork was on its way to the Belarus embassy.  We were to overnight our passports and documents as soon as we received them.  The next day, the materials were returned to us and we immediately sent them back.  They would arrive at the embassy sometime on Friday- a mere 11 days before our flight.

Since the embassy was closed on weekends, we called first thing on Monday morning, only to find out that it was closed because of a Belarusian holiday.  By Tuesday morning, our anxiety level was starting to spike.  We began calling as soon as they opened.  We were shocked to be told that they had not received our materials.

Another frantic call (this time to the postal service), revealed that major power outages in Washington DC (due to deadly storms in the area) had caused significant problems in mail delivery.  According to their records, we were told, the package had been delivered.  Fortunately, God placed a wonderful postal worker at the other end of the phone line.  He promised to personally find out what had happened to the package and get back to us.

In the meantime, Alan and I looked at our options.  Even if the package was located and delivered to the Belarus embassy the next day, we had been told that there was not enough time to process the visa and get it to us before our flight. It seemed evident that our trip to Belarus was not going to happen.  Our flight was non-refundable and, being of Scottish descent, I couldn't stand the idea of letting all that money go to waste.  The one silver lining in all this dark cloud was that (to save money) we had not chosen a direct flight to Belarus, but found a deal that required a stopover in Warsaw, Poland. A quick search on the internet showed that a visa was not required in order to visit Poland. 

"Looks like we're doing a mission trip to Poland," I said.

"If our passports get back in time," Alan reminded me. "Besides, what are we gonna do when we get there?"

"If nothing else, we'll stand on a street corner and tell people about Jesus or prayer walk through the communities."

"Sounds like a plan!"

On the off chance that we might find a ministry to plug into, Alan contacted the International Mission Board and relayed the our dilemma to them; asking if he could contact missionaries in Warsaw and find out if there was anything we could do to assist them.  They promised to pass our information along and, hopefully, a missionary would contact us.

On Thursday, the man from the postal service called to say that our package had been located.  It had been placed in one of the two mail bins belonging to the embassy.  The embassy worker who came to pick up the mail had only taken one of the bins.  Our packet was still in the bin at the post office. What did we want done with it?  Our reply was prompt and decisive: Send it back.

We began researching Poland and trying to decide what to pack, since we had no idea what we might be doing there. On Monday, we gave a sigh of relief to find our passports in the mailbox.  We were definitely going to Poland. On Tuesday morning, we headed to the Atlanta airport, with no idea what we were going to do, but determined to find some way to serve.

Thirty minutes before boarding, Alan's cell phone rang.  It was a missionary from Poland calling.  He had gotten our message. He was on the coast of Poland leading a camp for families interested in practicing their English skills with native English speakers.  The topics included were issues that fostered discussion about faith and beliefs, allowing the leaders to share their faith with the group.  While the adults were in their groups, the children attended a VBS-style camp at the site. 

The missionary was surprised at the timing of our message because one of the American couples who were volunteering for the camp had just received word of a death in the family and were having to fly back.  Did Alan feel comfortable stepping in as a discussion leader and would I be willing to work with the children?

By the time we boarded the plane, most of the details had been settled.  God had closed the door on our work in Belarus, but He opened up another wonderful window of opportunity for us in Poland.  A chance to minister that might have been missed if we had not been flexible.

Admittedly, this was an extreme example of how plans can go awry on a mission trip.  However, if you see that God can work through what seems to be a catastrophe, you can be sure that He can help overcome the other problems that often arise on mission trips.  If your luggage goes astray, God can provide clothes to wear- even if they aren't your first choice in fashion.  If a flight is delayed, look around to see who God wants you to witness to at the airport. 

There is nothing like a mission trip to test your mettle and to help you to see how strong your faith really is.  When difficulties come, will you bend or will you break?

Before You Go on a Mission Trip

Be watchful in all things, endure hardships,

do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

II Timothy 4:5

Part Two: The Most Important Thing to Take

Everyone packs differently for a trip.  I've traveled with those who've brought dozens of outfits and packed enough cosmetics and hair care paraphernalia to makeover a small country.  There have also been those who head off for a two-week trip with only a backpack and strong deodorant.  Both groups made it there and back and ministered to those that they met.

So what is it that we can bring that will make a difference in the success of our mission trip?  On any given trip, it soon becomes apparent, when the stresses of overseas travel kick in, who is truly prepared and who is not.  The reality is that, on a mission trip, what they carry in their luggage is not nearly important as what they carry in their hearts. You see, the most important thing to take on a mission trip is the right attitude.

Now you would think that anyone who takes time off from work and invests in the cost of a mission trip would automatically have the right attitude for going, but sometimes, somewhere along the way, we lose our proper perspective.  I know this is true because, even as a veteran missionary, I've allowed it to happen to me.

So how can you make sure that you bring the right attitude with you on your mission trip?  Here are four steps that can help make sure you have a great experience:

Step One: Remember Who Sent You

The biggest mistake you can make when going on a mission trip is to forget your main reason for going: to serve God. Even though you may be taking vacation time to go, you should never confuse a mission trip with a vacation.  If you think of it as a vacation, you will make yourself miserable!  Instead, confirm in your heart that you have given this week to the Lord.  Commit this time to Him and remind yourself that you are willing to sleep less (or not at all), eat foods that you don't like (or even recognize), experience extreme heat or cold, and do things that you never thought you would have the courage to do. As Americans, we normally never really get the opportunity to suffer for Christ.  This is your chance.

Step Two: Remember Why You Were Sent

I'm going on the assumption that the primary reason you are going on a mission trip is to minister.  Having a chance to experience exotic locations and quaint cultures can be a side benefit, but should not be a major consideration.  In all likelihood, the most exotic location you'll visit will be a foreign bathroom and the quaint culture may include loudspeakers blaring prayers at dawn or dusty roads that have potholes the size of a Volkswagen and kamikaze drivers.  Many of the people that you have come to minister to will reject you and even revile you.  However, you can be sure that there will be at least one person that God will bring to you whose heart is fertile ground for the Gospel and you can plant the seed of hope in them.

Step Three: Remember That Christ Will Strengthen You

Before going on the mission field, I had never left the country.  I liked being comfortable and I never, EVER, went camping.  My idea of roughing it was spending the night in a hotel room with just one bathroom!  When God called me to be a missionary in a third world country, I was worried that I wouldn't make it.  It wasn't easy, but I quickly came to learn that I could "do all things through Christ who strengthened me."  Before long, I found myself choosing "squatty potties" (tiled holes in the floor that you squat over) over the Western-style toilets because they were "cleaner" and I hardly gave it a thought when I had to pick bugs out of my food.  Christ gave me the strength to handle any challenge that came my way and, in the process, I became stronger in my faith.

In many ways, I am giving a "worse case scenario" for a mission trip, but that is just to prepare you for whatever "bumps" you may experience on your trip.  Going back to my roller coaster analogy, I want to remind you that it is the hair-raising drops and the g-force turns that makes the ride worthwhile. Which brings me to my fourth step...

Step Four: Remember That This Will Change Your Life

Nothing worthwhile comes without some measure of sacrifice.  I haven't met a woman yet who enjoyed being in labor, but every one will tell you that the pain was worth it. The things that you experience on a mission trip will make memories that you'll never forget and that you will recount over and over to your friends.  There will be glorious memories like helping a woman to learn that the Bible teaches that she can know for certain that she has everlasting life or teaching a child his very first Bible verse.  Even the seemingly bad experiences can serve to help you bond with the others on your team or grow you as a Christian.  It is strange how a situation that nearly brings you to tears while overseas, eventually becomes the story that you laugh over for years to come.

There is no denying the fact that a mission trip is expensive, uncomfortable, frightening, and hard work.  But I feel sorry for Christians who let this stop them from going because they miss out on so much!  The time, money, and effort you put into a mission trip is nominal in comparison to what you get from it: a greater faith in Christ, a deeper commitment to evangelism, and the blessing of knowing that you have ministered in the lives of others.

A Veteran Missionary's Guide to Missions

And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world,
 and preach my Gospel to every creature.

Mark 16:15

Part One: Why We Must Do Missions

Evangelism is a focal part of the Christian faith.  Sharing our faith with the lost is something that Christ expects from each of his followers. It is not a suggestion or a request; it is a mandate from God. Evangelism is the natural by-product of a mature and growing faith.  For the majority of Christians, evangelism takes place on the local level.  We witness to our family members, neighbors, co-workers, and (sometimes) even complete strangers. 

A part of evangelism is missions.  The word "missions" was coined by Jesuit monks to describe those who were "sent" to minister in foreign lands. They rightly believed that this special calling, with its greater dangers and sacrifices, was set apart from regular evangelism and deserved (at the least) a new classification.  Unlike many Christians today, who believe that "we are all missionaries," the early Church understood that leaving your family, your culture, and your heart language behind so that you could pour out your life in a strange land was not the same as spending twenty minutes telling your neighbor what Christ has done in your life.

During the early era of international missions, the crate that carried your possessions to the field often doubled as your coffin.  The average life expectancy for those early missionaries was less than five years. Fortunately, medical breakthroughs and advances in transportation has significantly improved the survival rate of missionaries.   However, the sacrifices they make are still very real.  Ask anyone who has spent more than a month overseas; it is not easy to live in a different country.

Obviously, Christians do not do missions because it is easy.  They do it because it is right.  The Great Commission was not limited to local evangelism.  Jesus commanded them to go "unto the uttermost part of the earth."  To me, that phrase always conjured up images of those places that I would LEAST like to visit- and that may very well be what He was saying.  Missions requires us to reach a greater level of commitment in our service to Christ because we often end up going to places that we never wanted to go to and doing things that are completely outside our comfort zone.

So, you may be asking yourself, "What is she trying to do, scare me from ever doing a mission trip?" No, that isn't my intent at all.  Instead, what I'm trying to say is that the missions experience will take your faith to a higher level because it is HARD.  Have you ever talked to someone who has just returned from a mission trip?   They go on and on and on about how incredible it was and how it changed their life.  The number one response that I've heard from first-time mission trippers is something like this: "I went, thinking that I might be a blessing to others, but I ended up being the one who was blessed."

Going on a mission trip is a lot like riding a roller coaster for the first time.  There is a lot of anxiety and trepidation before you head out, then you are overwhelmed with new sensations and experiences, and finally you are dropped back at the start feeling exhilarated and you can hardly wait to do it again. Face it, missions gives you a rush like nothing else, but (like the roller coaster) it can be a bumpy ride; whether it is your first mission trip or your fiftieth, you just never know what might happen.

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be writing on what you can do to make your next mission trip a little easier.  If you've never gone on a mission trip, I hope that these blogs will spark a desire in you to stretch your faith enough to be willing to reach the lost overseas.  At the very least, I hope that it will give you the knowledge of how you can better pray for those in your church who will soon be taking mission trips and for the career missionaries who have committed their whole lives to reaching the uttermost ends of the earth.

Ham and Eggs Marriage

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, not unto men.

Colossians 3:23

 

 

It occurred to me, while eating breakfast the other day, that we can learn a lot about marriage from this little meal. Now you might not think that we can find spiritual inspiration in what we eat, but there are lessons to be learned in even the most mundane of God's creation.  For me, my revelation came from ham and eggs.

 

You see, it occurred to me that we enter into a marriage with a certain level of commitment.  We tend to approach our marriage as either the pig or chicken does toward our breakfast. If we are like the chicken, we make positive contributions to our marriage, just like the chicken does with our breakfast by providing eggs.  We invest in the relationship, but within limits.

 

The pig, on the other hand, displays a level of commitment that the chicken fails to reach.  By becoming the delicious ham on our plate, the pig shows that it is giving itself whole-heartedly to the breakfast.  There is no possibility of walking away from the commitment; the pig is "all in." It has literally laid down its life for the relationship.

 

So the next time that you sit down to enjoy a breakfast of ham and eggs, take the time to think about your attitude toward your marriage.  Have you given yourself wholeheartedly to the marriage or are you holding back?  Are you a chicken or a pig?

 

 

Apples of Gold

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

Proverbs 25:11

 

 

 

This blog is a continuation of last week's blog, The Power of Words. I challenged my readers to see how many of the phrases that I listed had originated in the Bible.  Below, you can check your answers to see how well you did.

 

1. A sorry sight   (Shakespeare's MacBeth)

2. Apple of his eye   (Psalm 17:8)

3. To pine away   (Ezekiel 33:10)

4. A fool's paradise   (Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet)

5. Skin of his teeth   (Job 19:20)

6. All of a sudden   (Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew)

7. Blind leading the blind   (Luke 6:39)

8. As dead as a doornail   (Shakespeare's King Henry VI)

9. As pure as the driven snow   (combines two of Shakespeare's phrases from MacBeth and The Winter's Tale.

10. The eleventh hour   (Matthew 20:6)

11. Beside himself   (Mark 3:21)

12. His head on a plate   (Mark 6:28)

13. Dash to pieces   (appeared in Shakespeare's The Tempest in 1610 and the KJV in 1611)

14. A stone's throw   (Luke 22:41)

15. Eaten out of house and home   (Shakespeare's Henry IV)

16. Heart's content   (Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice)

17. Sharper than a serpent's tooth   (Shakespeare's King Lear)

18. Hold my tongue   (Esther 7:4)

19. Safe and sound   (Luke 15:27)

20. The crack of doom (Shakespeare's MacBeth)

 

There is a poetic beauty to the language of the King James Bible. It was a product of the Elizabethan era; a time when the English language reached its zenith. We see this, not only in the KJV Bible, but also in the writings of William Shakespeare- another product of this time period. The powerful influence of the Bible has impacted our language in an immeasurable way, however, the REAL power of the Word is its ability to change our lives.