She may get stuck at customs, silently praying that being the last one of the group to go through, she’ll make it into country and won’t have to be the one to tell 11 other people, “Sorry, but I’m afraid after almost 20 hours of flights we’ll have to turn back.”
She may be pushed out of her comfort zone immediately, instantly realizing that a country with a population of over 1.3 billion is not exactly the type of place an introvert thrives, and after being stuck in such close quarters on the planes, discovering that it’s just as close in the city and knowing you’ll be here for 10 days may cause her to question what in the world she’s doing.
She may regret eating the airplane curry. No, definitely regrets eating the airplane curry. Just FYI, airplane food is not real food, people. Not even close. Curry is so much more enjoyable when not produced ahead of time and eaten thousands of feet up in the air. Case closed, just trust me. Don’t do it.
Fact is, that week I spent in India this past September with my church was the hardest, most challenging, most rewarding thing I think I’ve ever done in my life. And I knew going in that is wasn’t going to be all sunshine and daisies, it wasn’t the first missions trip I’d ever been on, but I still wasn’t quite prepared for what God had in store for me that week.
Missions trips are hard. Like, really hard. It’s hard physically, to adjust to time change, jet lag, new foods, smells, and weather, but it’s more than just that. It’s hard to see so many people with so little and wondering when’s the last time they ate, or were able to feed their children. It’s hard seeing kids without families and wondering where they sleep at night or how they make it on their own. It’s hard knowing that girls of all ages are trafficked and treated terribly just because they’re a girl, and girls are treated as if they’re worthless. It’s hard to meet so many silly, incredibly creative and talented kiddos, and make so many great new friends, but know that in a couple of days you’ll have to leave them and return home. It’s hard meeting incredible people with incredible faith and knowing that they risk everything to raise up the next generation with Christ-like hearts and minds, knowing that at any time an amazing ministry that reaches so many people could end, and praying that that day never comes.
Missions trips are hard. They break your heart and build up your heart, they fill you with joyfulness and anger, and they make you question a lot of stuff, more than just why in the world would an introvert come to one of the most populated countries there are.
A lot of people ask me why I’ve been on trips, why I go on trips, or why I always want to go on trips.
“Why go overseas? There’s plenty of work to be done right here.”
“You need to take a break, people won’t support you financially if they feel like they’re always being ‘hit up’ for money.”
“You have things here you need to focus on like getting good grades and working and making money. Why take that time off?”
And yes, all these are true. I could stay home, get excellent grades, pick up extra hours and make lots of money, and never have to bother anyone for mission trip money again. I could go through the motions of my routine life and never feel uncomfortable or challenged, and go straight into college after graduation next semester. But of course, living that life, the life everyone expects me to, would mean I never would have met the people I have, who have influenced, encouraged, and inspired me in so many ways. There’s an opportunity cost to everything, and choosing a ‘normal’ life over missions means that I never would have been able to tell my stories and share my experiences to others and encourage them to take a leap of faith and go on a trip themselves. I never would have tried goat or got bit by a crab or been sent to a hospital in the Dominican Republic or tried the airplane curry! (Bleh, airplane curry *shudders*)
Think about this: even if you don’t feel called to go on missions, have you ever felt a significant calling from God to stay at home? Right where you are? And never leave? Didn’t think so. If we were meant to stay in one place we’d have roots instead of feet. God’s timing is always at work. Always. So even if you don’t feel lead to go on a trip right now, if God wants you to, if it’s part of the path he’s hand-designed for you, believe me, you’re going, it just might not be at the time or in the place you think it might. God will always provide to those who listen and are obedient. We can either be comfortable, or courageous, but not both.
So, why in the world am I, an introvert, going on a 9 month missions trip to Swaziland, back to India, and Guatemala, with only the belongings on my back and some people who I’ve never met before?
It’s what I know I’m being sent to do. It’s what I know God is sending me to do.
Besides, I’d rather have a passport filled with stamps than a house full of stuff.
