It’s been a month now. One whole month living back at home. I truly have been trying to write a blog since the first week I got home, but the words never came in a flowing form. Rather, little bits of thoughts, memories and recent understandings formed this blog, the very last blog I will actually write for the World Race.
I am sitting here staring at my laptop, typing and hitting backspace repeatedly. Blank on the past nine months only because there is so much to say. The past nine months have been… Well, let me try to describe them. Unbelievable. Astounding. Challenging. Spontaneous. Incredibly hard. Miraculous. Life changing.
I now know of 6 people who are joining Adventures in Missions on a trip in this next coming year. Three in gap year, two on 11N11 and one on a passport trip to Livingstone, Zambia!
Many have asked me if I would do this trip again and well, frankly, no way! But would I go back and change my mind about going in the first place? Not a chance. The lessons that I was able to experience and learn, the memories made while I was surrounded by incredible people and the ability to experience God in a whole new way are worth all the discomfort, exhaustion, homesickness and challenges that anyone will face during any mission trip.
God is not limited to time
- We can never pray for something too late for God to act. As humans (though that sounds really funny saying it like that) we are chained to time. We cannot go back no matter how hard we try nor can we go to our future. We are in the now only for a second. We get to choose what we do with that now and then it’s gone. God is time. He is the past. He is the present. He is the future. This concept is hard to comprehend for myself due to the fact of how little I know. There is so much that I do not understand about God nor will I ever, but I love it! There is always something new to learn and something for my curiosity to chew on.
“Wait…You mean I don’t have to sign-up for a mission trip?”
- We have all been called into missions. Missions does not mean you have to jump onto a plane, say “adios” to all your comforts, and hike into a remote village to people who have never heard of Jesus. Missions is proclaiming the good news of the Gospel to all nations, including your nation. You do not have to use tracks or set up a certain time to go street evangelizing. Give a simple smile to a stranger. Talk with the cashier at Publix (or your local grocery store). Chat with your neighbors when you get out of your car and see how are they are doing beyond just “good, thanks!” Sometimes the little things can mean more than a whole trip.
During the trip I would visit the same coffee shops whenever I desired coffee or wanted communication with the outside world (aka internet). Over time, some of my favorite friendships came from those outside of my “ministry time.” Frankly, I could argue that my off hours were the hours that made the greatest impact throughout my whole trip. For example, in Thailand, I met Nu, the owner of a little coffee shop that actually sold coffee (Thailand loves instant coffee packs. Yuck!!!). By the time I left Thailand, my dear friend Nu was open to talking about the Bible with Devan and I despite the fact that she was a strong atheist. To this day, we still talk to her and she asks questions about our faith. The neatest thing of all is that when I would go to the coffee shop, Simply Space, I always went to get away from our home and just block everything out. All I wanted to do was put headphones in, drink my strawberry yogurt smoothie and catch up on the latest news. Yet during that time, a relationship was forming and God used that!
Anyway…Long story short, God can use you in the littlest ways right now. Right where you are. Are you willing to have your actions confirm the belief you claim to have or would you rather sit back and just be trapped in a fake religion?
It’s time for me to settle down for a bit
- Dare I say it, but Miss Leah Ruth Finlay is actually taking a break from traveling for a time. Only a time. For the past three years I had the privilege of following God’s calling to overseas ministry and going on adventures that one can only dream. And now He is calling me to something just a tad bit different then I am used to and rather dread… He has called me to ministry right here in Orlando crazy Florida! I honestly do not really know what that entails, though I am excited to see where my feet will take me next and the relationships that will be made in 2015. Cheers to trying to stay still for a change!
Living for God is not possible without a community
- There is no such thing as a Lone Rider Christian. We were created for community. No matter how hard we try to do it on our own it just doesn’t work. I will admit that prior to going on the Race, I decided that it was best for my own interest and the interest of others if I just rode solo. I was hurt and wanted to just wing it. Funny thing… it didn’t work. Oh, trust me, I tried and I was one of the most unhappy people ever. Being forced into community allowed the brokenness that I had glued and fixed together to fall apart and be mended with sweet lessons and memories I will always cherish. Despite the challenges that come with community, I have come to the conclusion that I don’t like being alone and never want to be again. Sharing life, heartbreaks, struggles, laughter and the silly thoughts that cause you to giggle as you are trying to fall asleep are all things that are just so fun and beautiful when shared with another. Vulnerability looked like a nasty word haunted with heartache and impossible goals. Now, I see it and smile because I actually know the freedom that belongs to that word. I will not lie. Community is not easy to have. At least pure and true community. It takes effort, unlimited love and courage. However, every cost is minuscule when compared to the end result.
Too Much Time Wasted
- As I listened to a sermon by David Platt, I realized something that I have been doing for years and realized how much I desire for it to change. I spent hours upon hours a week serving others and hoping to make people feel heard and seen because of what God has done in my own life. But when I look back over the course of a short time, I started putting the “mission” or “ministry” before the One who had compelled me to go. I will admit that this has been a challenge since coming home. I struggle to balance to get out of bed early enough so that I can spend the time in His Word and in prayer. The busyness and loudness that controls the States was the one thing I hated the most when I got back, yet here I am listening to music and texting while trying to type this blog. My goal for this year is to cut back and go back into the mindset during the race. I learned how annoying phones actually are. How much time is wasted on media. How precious and powerful prayer is. I want it to be said that my prayer life was visible evidence of my relationship with God.
Side Effects
- Many talk about the cost of missions. Leaving your family, friends, comforts, downsizing, walking into the unknown, etc. This is now my second time returning to the States after being gone for at least 4 months. My previous return from Brazil took a little over a year until I readjusted to our culture. As I was journaling recently, I realized the truth of the cost of missions. A majority of the things we believe are “costs” we pay for missions are really just side effects of the ultimate cost. There’s so much more that you must sacrifice and yet, you’ll have no idea the sacrifice has happened until after.
Missions Doesn’t Take Place Two Weeks a Year
- Short-term (1-3 week) mission trips are more for our gain then it is for the locals that are served. I fail to find the words to explain my conclusion, so bear with me as I struggle to say this… Many times we sign up for trips mostly thinking about the country we will be visiting and much less about the people we will meet. Missions is so much more than feeding a man who is starving or building a home for a single mom or even building an orphanage for children to feel safe and loved. A thought, which is far from true, has weeded itself into the church. Mission work today is helping the helpless by “fixing” their physical needs. Throughout time, we have replaced the sole purpose of our calling to satisfy our wanting to feel important and needed. Without realizing it, we have taken the Gospel out of missions. Now, we are Christians who go and spread humanitarianism throughout the world rather than Jesus. Though it is hard and sometimes challenging, we ought to focus more on proclaiming the Gospel, disciplining the new believers and coming alongside other nations (including our own) as we bring glory to God throughout it all. Foreign mission work offers a wonderful opportunity to see Christianity from a different perspective. Through cross-cultural interactions, we have the privilege to learn and grow. So often we miss this chance as we strive with our own purposes and intents, forgetting that we have just as much to learn and receive from others.
We also need to remember that if we claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ and claim to believe that the WHOLE Bible is true, then you are most definitely called to do missions, “Therefore go and make disciple of all nations…” (Matt 28:19). You do not have to have a degree or training to be a missionary. You just have to be willing to be used in ways that sometimes feel uncomfortable and maybe even unrealistic. I challenge you to pray and ask God to show you how he has called you to go and make a disciple. Take a friend along on this journey to keep you accountable and encourage you. Use that beautiful community that God created and use it to bring glory to His name!
Thank you for joining me and the Gap Year 2014 squad with your encouragement, love and financial support. When I say that this trip would not have been possible without your help, I truly mean it. I could not have made it through the days and weeks where I was worn out and just dying to be back in a comfortable place but your kind notes, prayers and encouragement from before I even left gave me that extra little boost to push in and finish strong. Thank you for joining on this adventure as we share the gospel throughout the world and, most importantly, glorify God. Until the next adventure!
