I wrote last night on Secret China. The China that stole my heart… but would humbly like to share what has been put on my heart in the last eighteen hours.
Secret China is my comfort zone…it is what every ten day mission trip I've been on has consisted of. It represents the tangible feeling of ministry in my life. Even my dad shared, "I can't wait until she's in a country ministering to kids!" Secret China is everything I (currently) know and love about ministry.
There are several things I don't claim to understand about AIM. There is trust and faith in every decision and process… but I think I'm in on my route's secret. Or at least I think I am.
You see how many mission trips have I been on where I've painted, taught VBS, mixed cement, and played with street kids? A lot.
And, how many times have I returned to the states, frustrated and wondering why I don't feel as close to God here as I do in Costa Rica? A lot.
How many times have I felt the need to "do" rather than "be" missions? Uncountable.
What if AIM is creating a lifestyle not a ministry style through this route?
What if forty-seven racers returned home bold in our faith, living as daily missionaries in any profession. What if we learn a different type of ministry over the next eleven months… one where we didn't pigeon hole our world race skills into non-profits and international missions.
What if we didn't long for orphans to hold, or houses to repair? What if we learn on this route what gospel living looks like? What if inviting people into our lives becomes natural… inviting Jesus into our every day becomes our desire?
What if our condemnation for those who don't "go" turns into compassion. What if we can learn to live the Sermon on the Mount daily?
What if I felt just as close to, and used, and loved by God in a city as I do in a tent? What if I learn to seek Him in the comfort not just in the uncomfortable? What if ministry could be done in jeans and v-necks not just maxi-skirts and dreads? What if abandonment looks different than I originally thought?
What would our Church look like?
What would our lives look like?
What if when I get home, I'm not panicked for which non-profit I should go to work for but rather have peace that wherever I live and work I will be doing God's will for my life by loving Him and loving others?
