A missionary visiting the orphanage from America for a week asked me last night, “What is it that stole your heart for missions?” Today he is still having a hard time comprehending that myself and my team ‘sold our lives’, as he put it, to take advantage of this call God has given us. The six of us came from professional backgrounds. We quit our jobs. Most of my teammates sold their car to raise money for the Race, we are all literally homeless, and we totaled our earthly possessions last night – they wouldn’t even fill one of the small dorm rooms we have been staying in. We thought this was normal. It’s only been two months and we already forgot we’re the ones coloring outside the lines.
The first time I left the country was because I was called by God to and anytime I’ve not been on U.S. soil since then has been for the same reason. The Ukraine to Russia, China, back to Russia, India, sacrificing the only life I knew how to live to gain Christ through 11 countries in 11 months. All of these treks have been calls of faith and obedience and the rewards run deeper than any medal, any souvenir, any certificate. The lessons go far beyond any course, any self-help book. A skeptic of these journeys actually told me, ‘Well, if you’re going to go, go with God because that’s the only way you know you won’t fail.”
It is the culture. It is the smells. It is the scenery. It is the food. It is the homesickness. It is the discomfort. It is the frustration. It is the fear. It is the language barriers. It is everything you see in movies that won’t hold a notion to your imagination until you experience them for yourself. For me, it started out with sheer curiosity of what the world is actually like out there. Not the CSPAN, FOXNews, New York Times versions. Not the, ‘I had a friend who backpacked through Europe for three months after they graduated and this is what they said’ version. Everyone is certainly entitled to their opinions. But I didn’t want other people’s opinions.
I listened to what God spoke to my heart and made the first trip. I experienced everything and more I just listed in the paragraph above, and my life changed.
But. But, what absolutely sold my soul to the world of missions was seeing how big God really is. Traveling hundreds to thousands of miles from what is familiar to me, from worshiping in English and seeing a dedication to faith that does not know the distractions we do in the States. No matter what country I was in, no matter the language or custom, these peoples’ passion and zeal for Christ rang through their worship like it does ours’ at home.
WHOA!
This truly is what captivates me about being a missionary. It doesn’t matter that we can’t understand each other, even if the only method of communication I have with a foreign brother or sister is smiling at them so much my face hurts. Even if it’s just trying to clap my hands to their worship beats while letting Christ explode from my heart, it was the realization that we truly are one in the Spirit and one in the Lord. We are one body. We’re on the same team. We serve the same God and when we seek Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, He often casts the same vision to us all. One love.
Yes, there’s service. There’s humility and loads of growth to experience, but seeing the Truth over and over again irregardless of the continent I’m on is proof enough for me that our God is larger than we will ever be able to comprehend. May I never know how far and deep and wide is the love of our God while I’m on this earth.
If you have been enjoying keeping up with what God is doing through my life so far this year, please consider making a donation towards my journey! I still have $2,100 to fundraise to be able to remain on the field. Donations are tax deductible and can be made by clicking on the ‘Support Me’ tab. Many thanks for making things like this possible. In His Love, S
