Recently, a friend asked me to write a bit and share about how serving the Lord in international mission work had led me to seek to serve locally. How has following God overseas encouraged me to follow him in my hometown? Since my focus and plans have been shifting over the past few months from overseas mission work to ministry here in the United States, it was a welcome chance to reflect and see the journey that the Lord has been walking with me. Here is what I shared with her:
It was January of ’06 when I knew that God had placed a call to
ministry on my life. I may have only
been a high school student at the time with no knowledge of what a career in
missions would look like, but I resolved to be obedient to the Lord. Almost a decade later I am still discerning
the call and walking in the Spirit daily to the best of my ability. In the years between high school and present
day, I have explored many avenues of missions and ministry, both locally and
abroad.
My undergraduate and graduate degrees focused
on studying the Word, learning about missions strategies and developing
intercultural communication skills. I
took weeklong trips to Guatemala and Germany during college, then after
graduation I headed out on an 11-month journey touching base in 11
countries. When I came home I spent 6
months serving the youth group at my home church, then took off again for more
studies in Illinois and a summer stint in Peru.
International
travel and missionary work have been woven into the most recent years of my
life in significant ways. As I reflect
on the work that my teammates and I did internationally, I realize that those
experiences have helped me to better understand and recognize the beauty of God
and His purposes for His people, as well as equipped me to serve my home
community and church more effectively.
In Kenya we prayed for the sick, preached the Word, visited the lonely,
invited neighbors to church, shared the gospel, laughed with children, danced with
worshippers, and followed Jesus wherever he led us. Today, as I live in the little town of
Statesville, North Carolina, I still gather with fellow believers to pray for
the sick. Each Sunday we come together
to hear the Word preached. I enjoy
visiting and spending time with new friends and inviting my neighbors to
church. There are still opportunities to
share the gospel and laugh with children each week in Good News Club at the
local elementary school. As far as
dancing goes…well, I attend a Southern Baptist church, but I do occasionally
attempt a nice sway/rocking motion with a lifted hand or two (And you better
believe I have some good dancing worship in my car when I’m riding solo!)
There were
several countries where I had the opportunity to meet with some amazing women,
both young and old, and remind them of their value and beauty in the sight of
God (the only One whose opinion truly matters).
At home, I have the same opportunities to encourage ladies and show them
that their true worth and identity comes from Christ.
Traveling internationally
is always an adventure. There are new
sights, smells, sounds and surprises around every corner. People may not look like you, speak the same
language or have the same customs and cultures.
Everything from food preparation to the method of doing laundry could be
completely foreign to the mindset you’ve always known. Church services may vary in length and style;
worship and prayer may be expressed in new ways. Still, one thing remains the same – God’s
glory and his love for his people.
Spending
time abroad has enriched my view of God by opening my eyes to the beauty and
diversity among the nations and cultures, along with the unity found in the
Christian Church as a whole. I have
followed Jesus down the dirt roads of Rwanda and it has given me confidence to
follow Him down the paved roads of neighborhoods in my hometown. The Spirit encouraged me to sing and dance in
worship with international believers and now I look forward to praying and
worshipping with my fellow church members here at home.
Until very
recently, I viewed my call as a missionary as a very rigid course that would most
likely result in living overseas long-term.
As I treasure my past international experiences and plan to continue to
learn about culture and communication, I find that I am no longer choosing to
define myself as a “missionary,” but rather how the Father sees me as “beloved
daughter of God.” If the Lord leads me
to the other side of the world or to a small town in the States, I want to be
faithful to serve Him. People are
people, regardless of where they live, their age, color or social status. And all people have a great need for
Jesus. If we know Him it is our mission
to introduce Him to everyone we meet, no matter our geographic location.
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