He Created in Me a Heart for Missions

The Tree of Life in Mirebalais, Haiti

James 1:27 NLT says, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”

Let’s just set the record straight…I am not a “low maintenance” kinda girl, I may be simple, but not low maintenance. I like hair dryers, make up, and girl stuff. I don’t like to camp, I don’t like to rough it and my idea of a mission trip is one that I took almost seven years ago when a group of fifty women got on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. We went to the Bahamas for the weekend to do a little mission work at an orphanage in the area. That, sweet sisters, is my kinda mission trip.

So why it that I am all of the sudden is is it that missions are right in front of my face. Oh I have a heart for missions, I really do. I love it, know the difference in makes in people’s lives, and have seen the impact first hand. My husband has been to Cuba twice, to Guatemala twice and to Haiti six times. Over the last year, my oldest son (he is 17) has been to Haiti twice and my youngest (he is 15) has been to Guatemala. We are a family that has a heart for missions…but would I ever pack up my life and move into the mission field? That it another whole story.

Over the last few years, my husband has thrown this idea out to me and every time I shoot it straight down. Ok, I try to be nice about it, but I just cannot see myself (at this point in my life) living in the mission field, I’m just being straight up honest with you.

Then, as God would have it, yesterday we went to lunch with a family right here in our little world of South Florida that is getting ready to do that very thing. They are regular, everyday people who have felt the call to live on the mission field. The family of four is in the process of selling everything they own and after Thanksgiving they will be moving to Burkina Faso with their two teenage daughters.

I sat in awe of them as we ate lunch together. I asked question after question and sat in stunned silence for a minute while I processed it all.

How?
Why?
When did they know?
Did they always know?

Then I started to think about what that would look like for my family. Could God really be calling us to the mission field? I honestly do not know. I know that we have a heart for missions, but is that to tell the world about the importance of getting involved in missions (we partner with a few local and foreign missions at our church and as a family) or is to actually physically go there ourselves.

I wish there was a cut and dry answer to that…but for right now though I know that if it is His will for our family, then He’s going to make that very clear to us…in His time.

One thing He has been showing me is that for now my part is to be a voice for missions and to tell the world about the importance of getting involved. As of right this very moment this is where I am…I’m sharing the stories from the trips my family has been on and processing through their stories to pick out the lessons that God has been showing us through them.

In my work at our church, I lead the Kids and Womens Ministries. Part of this “being a voice about missions” is also to talk about local missions (those in our backyard) and foreign missions (through our partnerships with Compassion and GCA) to those He brings into my world.

Teaching families how they can get involved right this very minute. Doing projects with the kids to send to the kids in Guatemala and Haiti and through that, He opens the door for more people to see and hear about the work that needs to be done all over the world.

Does that mean I may end up in the mission field? I have no idea, but it does scare the beejeebers out of me to even think about.

Until then I’m going to keep doing my part. It is crazy to think that a girl from small town Kentucky would marry a boy from small town Alabama and that they would live in South Florida and have an opportunity to go to Cuba, Haiti and Guatemala on missions trips. On top of that, that their kids would have a heart for missions…well, that is just about the craziest, most incredible thing. Put all that together and then to watch what God does with it all is quite an adventure.

I don’t know where you are right now, but I do know this… One person can make a difference…who knows, He may even create in YOU a heart for missions too!