The title is the name of a book I found and have been reading. The best part is how I found the book and the timing of it all. When God asked me to give up everything and follow Him, I did that, and I said I would even if I had to sleep in my car when I got to where I was going. Haha, I ended up sleeping in my car for three days and homeless for three months. It was through this and the other seemingly bad pieces of my life that God was making me a missionary. I just didn’t realize it all until He revealed it to me and that wasn’t until I found this book.
After nearly a month of being homeless, I arrived at the second church that sheltered me, Clairemont Covenant. By this time, I already had a job, just hadn’t started yet and they were having me attend a mandatory employment meeting. I thought it was a waste of time for me since I hadn’t ever had a problem finding a job, I already had one, and I wasn’t homeless for that reason. So, I begged them to let me sit it out, but they were rather firm about me attending and now I am grateful.
The meeting was held in the church’s library. I love to read, so when the meeting was finished I went to search the shelves to see if anything would pop out to me. Indeed, something did. It was a small, very thin book, with only 124 pages called The Making of a Missionary by Rick Johnson. I was excited at the time I got it because it was another way that the Lord was confirming the World Race for me.
I didn’t begin reading the book right away though, I started diving into it more recently as I began to struggle with my thoughts. It has helped me to see more about being a missionary than I would have thought, and it also supported and further expanded my views as a Christian. I, for a while now, have begun to associate with describing myself as a Christ follower. My reasoning is because so many people call themselves Christians, but don’t necessarily follow God and a lot of people turn away from God because of that term and the people that associate themselves with it.
I already feel like a lot of people just play church for an image, but Rick shared how true and even how far from God we truly can be here in the states. There are people out there that live in a way we look away from, so we don’t have to deal with it, but God gave us direct instructions for us to go spread the good news with these people.
I got to read about all of Rick and his friend’s challenges as missionaries, but yet they still continued to follow God through it all. It is so relatable for me even though I haven’t yet been where they are, I am still willing to follow God through whatever. I have been called to go to these nations to give pervasive hope and that is exactly what I am going to do, no matter what I face.
My hope is that through my obedience to follow the call, lives will be transformed, including yours. I pray that you grow in your relationship with God and follow the call that is on your life as well, because people need Jesus, well we all do. However, we won’t truly find him if we stay comfortable. It is time for us to step out of our comfort zones and step into what God has in store for us. It isn’t just about us, there is a world out there that needs what God has placed in each of us.
In the word, it says that we are all a part of one body. I may be the feet to go and you may be the mouth to speak or the ear to hear, no matter what part we are, if we don’t all work together the body won’t function the way it was intended. So, walk in your purpose and if you don’t yet know what that is … God does, so ask Him!
I would have never guessed God was making me into a missionary, it didn’t ever seem that way, but as I look back I see exactly how He did it in my life. It may not all make sense now but continue to trust God for the things you can’t see, that is called having faith.
I pray that you continue to follow along this journey with me and that you are blessed from it. If you ever feel it in your heart to support this work of God by sowing a seed of faith and/or by praying in agreement with me, I would more than appreciate it. $1 is better than none and one prayer is better than none too, so thank you in advance for your support.
1 Corinthians 12:12“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So, it is with Christ.”
