I used to think missionaries were people that spent all week feeding the hungry, praying for the sick and needy, and spreading the Gospel to everyone.
Now I know they are so much more than that.
In just three months I’ve gotten a glimpse into the unfiltered life of being a missionary. I thought I would share with you some of the things I’ve done in my time spent in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama.
Being a missionary means…
Praying with a little girl who is afraid of thunder storms.
Helping children with special needs get dressed, eat, and walk.
Encouraging people.
Washing piles of dirty dishes.
Cleaning and organizing a maintenance shed so it would be easier to find stuff.
Mending the net on a trampoline.
Changing diapers.
Cleaning up poop.
Mowing the lawn.
Loving your teammates.
Sharing stories.
Being cockroach exterminators.
Hosting church.
Listening to people share whats on their heart.
Playing games.
Praying for healing.
Inviting the ladies walking by to join you in worship.
Sharing your testimony on the top of a volcano.
Being a good friend.
Cleaning everything and anything to ease the burden of your host.
Making posters for a school.
Praying for people, the ministry, the country, and the world.
Moping and sweeping a tile floor three times to make it sparkle.
Helping in the kitchen.
Weeding a garden.
Handing tools to the maintenance man on the roof.
Buying that same man a coke a few days later.
Hugging children and giving them your attention.
Visiting old folks at the nursing home.
Making up gift baskets.
Hosting a kids club.
Cleaning some more and doing more dishes.
Moving thousands of books out of a house in order to make a library.
Performing a bible story skit.
Helping people fundraise.
Being the hands and feet of Jesus in WHATEVER way possible. Whether that means cleaning all day or preaching.
God has been showing me the importance of a willing heart that will serve Him with joy. I’ve seem all the behind the scenes things that need to take place in order to be an effective ministry. The past three months my team and I have done a lot of the behind the scenes work and I cannot tell you how many times we were told how much of a blessing it was. We were able to bring lift and relief to some of these long-term missionaries, which I totally believe is spreading His Kingdom.
What I’ve learned is this.
God needs people on His side that are just as willing to clean a toilet as they are to preach the Gospel and play with kids.
