When you take a mission trip, invariably you ask yourself what God wanted to teach you or show you through the experience. I'll share a few things that I learned from our trip to Honduras...
1. When you feel God leading you to do something, even if it seems crazily hard, do it. There is no better place than in the center of God's will. We had dozens of people tell us that we were a little bit crazy to even consider taking 7 children to a foreign country. Dozens who thought that sounded impossible...dozens who said they just couldn't even imagine doing it. When we think about it now, we can see why people would react that way. Heck, if we dwelt on it too long, we could have easily dismissed the idea as crazy and not considered it. I mean, who would have blamed us for saying, "We'd love to take a mission trip, but we have....too many kids...it would be too much money...it would be too hard to travel with all those little kids and suitcases." I guess it encouraged me to "Do Hard Things" as the book by the same name says. I am so glad that we did.
2. Because I don't speak Spanish, I wasn't able to share the Gospel with anyone in Honduras. What it DID reinforce to me is my responsibility to share the Gospel where God HAS called me to be a missionary....right here in Burkesville. It is so easy for me to think that I am willing to be sent across the world to share Jesus with others, and what that would look like, but lately God has had me consider a different angle. I am called as a missionary to Burkesville. We are all missionaries where we are until God calls us someplace else. Am I living like a missionary here like I would be if I was being supported to be a missionary in Honduras? Am I free with my time, my family, my house to show love to others. Or do I live like a non-missionary, focused only on me and accomplishing MY goals. I'm afraid I'm guilty of the latter, but with God's help hope to start living like a missionary.
I read a verse in Philippians 2 this week as I was attempting to memorize the chapter to beat my kids in a competition (grin) and it was talking about Timothy.
19I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. 21For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
Those verses were convicting to me because I realize that I often look out for my own interests. It's so easy to say, "I'm too busy." "I don't have time." "I'm too tired." But if I were truly looking out for the interests of Jesus Christ, all my excuses would go away. I'm praying that God work on me in that area this year.
Before our trip, I started reading a book called Just Walk Across the Room. By Bill Hybels. I was able to read a good portion of it during the trip when Gilead was having his naps and I finished it after our trip.
The book talks about how evangelism doesn't have to be hard. It is as simple as "walking across the room" and saying "Hi" to someone and building relationships. It's stepping away from your comfortable circle of friends and greeting a new person, or one that might not have many friends.
On thing jumped out that Hybels said. That is that every morning when he wakes up, he prays "Lord please open doors today that I can share You with others."
I tested this out last week and almost failed miserably.
Last Thursday, I was going to the orthodontist and Wal Mart with only 2 children...my oldest and youngest.
I prayed that prayer as we pulled out of the driveway. I asked God, "Please give me 1 open door to share your love to someone." After that I kinda forgot my prayer.
I sat with a waiting room full of parents in the orthodontist office....then we went to Wal mart.
We were almost done with my list. You know "THE LIST" that your whole goal is to cross off everything as quickly as possible so you can check out and go home! I was totally not even thinking about looking for open doors or even thinking of "the interests of Jesus Christ." I had a mission.
Then we entered the produce department...and that is where God taught me an amazing lesson.
A Wal Mart worker came up to me who was off duty and asked if Gilead was my baby. (He had been patient in the cart, but was over it at that point, so Aslan took him out and let him walk around while he followed him.) I told her he was and that yes that tall 14 yr old was also my son. She commented on the huge age span and I mentioned there were 5 children in between those 2. She shared that she was a 4th born of 12 and how it's so nice to see a big family and how rare it is...yada yada yada. Well, 10 minutes later, this friendly lady was STILL TALKING!!!! About her family, her kids, and I was looking really sweet and friendly, but I'm ashamed to admit that inside I was praying emphatically, "GOD PLEASE LET THIS WOMAN SHUT UP SO I CAN FINISH THE PRODUCE DEPARTMENT AND GET OUT OF HERE!"
Just seconds later while I was having an internal meltdown at how talkative this woman was and how MY INTERESTS were not getting accomplished...I heard a loud voice in my spirit....totally a God thing cause there was NOTHING in me spiritual at the moment say...."HELLO? You asked for ONE open door...are you gonna walk through it?"
I knew that I knew that it was God....and immediately my intensity to leave, my selfishness, MY interests all calmed down and became not important. I Listened to what the lady was saying, I mean really listened. Before that I was just hearing words.
She was talking about how God had allowed hard times to happen to her son and what a blessing it turned out to be because it turned him from a work a holic into someone that had time for family relationships. She talked about how she had given her life to God at an early age, but got off doing her own thing and God brought her back to a relationship with Him. She knew that God loved her enough to restore their relationship.
Then she asked if I could pray for the bread man who stocks the bread aisle every morning. His name was David and his wife of 31 yrs had just left him and he was devastated. I asked her if she had shared Jesus with him and she said that she had. Then I felt led to pray with her and said, "You know the Bible says that were 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst, why don't we agree in prayer for David right now." She loved the idea so she grabbed my hand and I prayed for David and his wife, for restoration and for God to show himself mighty through this hard time." When we finished Wal Mart lady had tears in her eyes and we hugged. We parted ways and I couldn't stop thanking God for His patience. Patience because if it had been up to be...I had prayed this sweet woman away in my impatience to accomplish "my own interests." God could have easy answered that prayer....but he had a lesson to teach me.
I had asked for 1 open door...and without me trying to find it...in fact I was trying to slam the door...he patiently kept this lady talking and talking until I would finally hear the spirit of God in my life nudging me that THIS was what I had prayed for.
How often do we pray and then never look for the answer...or get it in our minds what the answer looks like and miss God completely. I'm convinced that because I'm such a novice at this, God was exceedingly patient with me. And I thank Him for that. I thank God that not only did He love ME enough to be patient, but he loves David the bread man enough to cause me and a bakery lady to lift him up before God, the only one who can meet his needs right now.
I challenge you to ask God each day for 1 open door...and don't forget to look for which one God wants to open...and try not to be like me and pull it shut so you can accomplish your "stuff."
God is so gentle and good in His teaching us dumb sheep how to truly be His disciples.....if we make even a small effort, He will more than make up for our weakness......so just walk across the room....or across the produce aisle...you might just find God next to the bananas!!!
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