I had a friend from church ask me, "Are you going to go on all our mission trips?" I laughed and admitted that if I could I would. I'm physically able, my job permits the time away and I have the support of great parents to help with my daughter while I'm gone. My daughter is also supportive of this so she doesn't mind. My goal is to have her go with me in the next few years. She actually had her first experience in missions last week. Some of the church youth group traveled to Michigan to spend the week working on homes to help build up the neighborhood. She was also able to work at a homeless shelter for one of those days. So yes, while I can, I will attend mission trips. I don't know what next year will bring, let alone tomorrow. So I'm going to grasp the moment while I can.
I'm not sure if any Google searches will support my definition or not, but my idea of missions is using our spiritual gifts to serve others. Doing that doesn't have to take you overseas. It can be in your own backyard and they can be so simple. If you gift is Mercy, cook a meal for a new mom or for a husband whose wife may be in the hospital...Administration: join one of your church committees, every committee needs at least one member who can keep the others on task and help organize...Evangelism: help others grow and share their faith...Teaching: teach others what you have learned...etc. One of my gifts is Shepherding. Which boggles my mind. I have taken some of these test over and over again because I just knew something was wrong and the more I read the description the more I knew I must have misread a few questions in the test to get this result. No matter how many times I took it or how many different ones I took, Shepherding was always in the top 2-3 of my Spiritual Gifts. Jaw dropping, head tilted, wrinkled forehead, confused look...yeah, I know, me too!
When I went to India last fall someone asked me, "Why are you going half-way around the world to do God's work, isn't there enough you could be doing in the United States?" I have to admit I use to think the same way. Every fall my parents church have a chili supper/auction to raise money for missions. Usually used to support missionaries overseas. I used to think that was crazy! We need the money too, keep it here, spend it on something in our own church community. When I re-committed my life to Christ last year many changes happened in me. I was like the Grinch who stole Christmas, my heart grew, and it grew, and it grew. Not only did it grow, but it opened and boy did it open to global missions. I'm doing many things here at home, but my heart yearns to work in missions in another country. God doesn't see borders, so why should we?
Have a fantastic day...Be YOUtiful...Love out LOUD!! :)
Stephanie
My new favorite song!!
"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'
James 1:27 (NIV)
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
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