Welcome to the last round of blogs (click the links for Part 1 and Part 2) where I talk about some of the people I've met who are currently serving Christ's kingdom as "missionaries", in the hopes of showing that they're totally normal, that they simply serve God out of faith, and that they just sort of stumbled into these roles in trying to live a life centered on Jesus. My hope is that your missionary mold will be broken, and that God would speak to your heart about the ways He is leading you to serve, and that they'll be out of your comfort zone, and that you would trust Him, following Him in faith and discover a new depth of the life He has for you!
So, meet Jim. (He's the white guy in the middle there. Great smile Jim!)
Jim is a totally regular guy. He's a husband. He's a dad to three awesome kids. He's from Pennsylvania and the guy loves apple pie. For the past 5 years or so, Jim has been living in Cambodia with his family, working with World Team, helping to plant churches and raise up leaders in those local churches. On their original visit to Cambodia to scout out the possibility of serving here, Jim said he knew it wasn't for him. But the Lord pressed upon his heart, and so Jim followed, trusting in his good God. They moved to Cambodia, and began learning the language. A few years later, God began to move the family away form the city, and into a VERY rural area…to which Jim again thought, "No…this isn't for us. This isn't a 'fit' for our family." But God continued to lead, and Jim continued to follow in love…and for the past 2 years, the Gabriel family has been living in rural Cambodia, building up the church here, pouring into the people and teaching those who would become church leaders.
It was all originally way out of their comfort zone, way out of what would be a "good fit" for them, and way out of their ability. But God led, God provided and God built a life for them here and continues to do all three. And because of this, the people of Preah Vihear are now being served and taught by a family in love with Jesus. All because of faith and trust.
And this is Helen. (She's second from the left.)
Helen has been serving at a children's home in Nicaragua for over 20 years. But get this…when she originally began to help, it was because the people who were starting and building the home were friends of hers…and asked if she wanted to come help for just a little while. So she did, leaving home in Costa Rica for Nicaragua. After a few years of serving with friends and getting things up and running, her friends moved on…but God began to speak to Helen about staying. Helen said she didn't want to stay. She said she fought God on it. That there were tears and confusion and that it was a really hard idea to buy into. But through prayer, through listening to her Father's voice…she decided to trust Him, to live for her will and not her own. She decided to put all of her faith in God, and to serve Him as she was asked, trusting that He was good, all the time.
20 years later, she has been pouring into child after child, sharing God's love with those who have no one else to be loved by. She has become a servant leader in her community. If you meet Helen, you will soon discover her incredible depths of patience, of humbleness, of faith in God and her depths of love. She is a woman who loves her God, who believes Him, and who relies on Him for everything.
There are so many more stories I want to share. Like the story of Jeff Long and his family in the Philippines.
Like Pastor Yesudassum in Malaysia. Like Spencer in Costa Rica. But I won't. I will just say this: The people who are serving God that I've met haven't been "Big Idea" people…they haven't been people with radical dreams of changing the world, or being major players in the missionary world. They haven't been trying to start revivals or movements. They haven't had in depth plans of action or projected work schedules or anything. They have been very regular, very down to earth people who love their God…who want to follow Him, who listen for His voice, and who want to live for His will more than their own…to the point that they have made major life changes on HIS behalf as He has asked. One step at a time,
They are people who rely on Him for everything, who give Him credit for everything, who praise His name always. They are people who RISK….who step out in faith when it is scary, or difficult, or when family members tell them they are being irresponsible. The risk in the face of fear and uncertainty…because their faith is not bound up in themselves and in their abilities. It is founded in something higher, something greater. It is founded in and on Jesus, and the goodness and worthiness of their Heavenly Father.
These people are like you. They have dreams and hopes for their lives and the lives of their children and family. They have interests and hobbies. They are just as unique and interesting as you are. They are down to earth people who have far fewer answers to questions you might think they have figured out. They simply choose to live outside the restrictions most of us place on what we think is possible…and trust that when God is leading, he can be fully trusted to be followed. And so they follow Him…one step at a time.
I can't explain the impact these people have had on me. They have blown my preconceived ideas of serving God to shreds. They have inspired me to want to start risking more when God calls me to something. They have been an incredible example of what it means to live for God's will and not my own. They have shown me what Jesus meant when He said that those who lose their own lives, will find TRUE life in Him.
One last thought. If you've read this far…then I applaud your efforts. Many of you may have heard of Heidi Baker. She and her husband have a ministry in Mozambique where God is moving in powerful ways. And I bet many of you, like me, think, "Wow. What an exciting life. Man, I think if God called me to that, I'd do it…because to see Him move like that all the time would be so great. That's what I want." Maybe you didn't think that…but that's what I thought. You know what though…I don't think that's how it went for the Baker's. My guess is God led them to Mozambique just like He led Jim's family here to Cambodia. They moved to a place unfamiliar, outside of their comfort zone. But they moved, out of faith, and served, out of faith…and years later, God started to move in new and exciting ways….but before that…the Baker's were serving quietly, faithfully, just like Jim and his family. They were simply obeying their Father who they loved and trusted. They were loving on people very different from them, in a place very foreign and challenging. They didn't sign up for a ministry full of signs and wonders…they signed up to serve their God before serving themselves. And in every interview I've seen, or book I've read, neither Heidi nor her husband ever indicate a single ounce of regret. They have discovered God knew what He was doing when He called them to find their lives in Him, no matter the cost or the risk. They have gained TRUE life by losing their own.
I really, really want to live like that.
