I'll admit to you, I have a tattoo. Just one. It's on my back. Upper left scapula. In black ink is an image of two fish and five strands of barley etched into my skin. In 2003, it was just two fish and it was just a tattoo like any other heathen ritual in my 20's. By 2010, a year after my salvation and shortly after my first (and thus far, only) missions trip, I revamped the old stamp by adding five strands of barley and refreshing the ink on the fish.
Speaking of revamped and refreshed, my salvation has been nothing short of a miracle. God truly has restored to me the years the locusts ate away!
To make a point, my cardboard testimony reads:
[front] Three years ago I was dead in my sin…(sex addict, abortion, depressed, suicidal) …and so much more [back] Today…I've been brought back to life by Jesus Christ! (healed, forgiven, hope & joy) John 3:16
I mention this so there's no surprises as to who I've been and who I am now.
Two totally different women: the former dead, and the new creation living and thriving in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17) This tattoo now serves me as a reminder and as an icebreaker to share my testimony (Ephesians 2:8), share the story about how this amazing God named Jesus fed a multitude of 5,000 miraculously with only two fish and five loaves of barley bread (John 6:1-13) and as always, I use it to spread the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4.)
Now it's so much more than just a tattoo — it's part of who I am, and who I am is accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6.)
My hope and prayer for all of those who venture out September 2012 for the World Race on Route 1 is this:
Come as you are. (Revelation 22:17)
Love always,
Missionary Mel
