Mision Para Cristo

Mision Para Cristo

Why was this so important? Why did my heart yearn to be in their presence? Why did I desire so deeply to have my children, my flesh and blood, become uncomfortable and learn to love at a level deeper than they could ever imagine?
Why? Because God had placed in my heart from a very young age, somewhere around age 10, to GO...

I grew up in a very small town in North Central Alabama. Attalla, Alabama is where I call home. My maternal grandmother lived very close by and I spent a lot of time with her. I watched my grandmother minister in her very own way to people around her close by and in other countries on other continents. Through the help of World Bible School, she was able to tell so many about God and Jesus, about their love and His forgiveness, about the greatest sacrifice given for them. I watched her even when she had no idea I was watching.
And I learned so much. And I wanted to do it too. And she taught me and I did.

So, you can only imagine my joy and excitement when one of her students purchased a flight ticket out of Africa and was coming to the United States. I was in the 5th grade, I was 10. She called me to tell me that he was at her home, her home in Attalla, Alabama...very far away from his country in Africa.
I am sure I went running through the woods as fast as I could to get to her and meet him!
He looked different and I loved him. He spoke different and I loved him. He loved on my grandmother and I loved him. He brought her gifts and I loved him. He was her brother in Christ (not yet mine) and I felt like we were family...and I loved him.

That same year I come to know Steve Worley and his family. Steve is a missionary who has been incredibly instrumental with the work of the church in Nigeria. He and Dee and their children were worshiping at the same congregation that my family was attending. One night he stood before the congregation and presented a slide show and gave a speech about the work that was being done there. Before the presentation was over, I wanted to GO. I wanted to be there. I wanted to do what he was doing. I was 10.
Afterwards, I remember going up to him and quietly tugging on his Nigerian kaftan. He looked down at me and I told him then and there that I wanted to go. I wanted to go with him and could I. He smiled and said 'one day' and that maybe I could get my mom or my dad to go with me. I am sure he looked at me through eyes of joy not fully understanding the commitment I had made in my heart. At 10 it did not matter to me or not if my parents wanted to go... I did and one day I would.
Steve and Dee continued to worship with us there in Gadsden, Alabama and they continued their mission work in Africa and they continued to report back the work being done. My grandmother continued her studies with any and all who were interested in learning about God and eventually I started teaching through WBS as well. Our local congregation later hired a gentleman named Norman Flynn who was from South Africa. I came to love him and his wife so much. His love for the Lord was so genuine and he and his family expressed such gratitude for their personal salvation, that I personally respected and admired him so much. Christianity was their life, it was who they were, not just a name they called themselves.

I was a witness to all of this at such a young age and those seeds that were planted long ago, continued to be fertilized. Every time I would hear someone speak about the work that they were doing and the hearts that were breaking and the joy that was filling their lives and the glory that God was receiving... I wanted to go.
But life happened and the directions I was heading did not foster an environment to pursue my deepest desires. It wasn't that there wasn't opportunities, I was just not ready. It wasn't that my heart had hardened, it was more of a state of immaturity on my part. I had let my spiritual commitment be overridden by personal interests, confusion on relationships, and superficial expectations. I was growing (growth happens naturally, I just wasn't growing intently in the Lord). So I missed a lot of opportunities at a time when fulfilling those desires were more practical. I was single, I was a college student, I had more available time, I did not have career obligations, I did not have responsibilities as a wife nor a mother... and I missed those opportunities.
But God's timing is perfect.

I graduated college. I got a job. I got married. We started a family. We moved a lot. And throughout it all, all of those transitions in life, those seeds that had been planted so long ago had continued to grow. Every time I would hear someone speak regarding the work that was being done abroad my heart was filled with so much joy. I would personally meet the speaker when the presentation was over and thank them for their work, and thank them for their commitment and dedication. I knew that God was being glorified and I was filled. But because my personal life was so unpredictable and I had become conditioned to letting things happen as opposed to making things happen, I was afraid that I had 'settled' on a life that may never see my greatest desire fulfilled.

Fast forward to 2014.
My family had visited home, in Attalla, and was listening to a guest speaker. He was the son of Norman Flynn and he was presenting on the work being done in Africa. I was moved. I looked at my boys and asked them, right there in bible study, if they wanted to go. They were interested and when it was over we went to talk to him. His projected timeline for taking a group was 2 years out and that was perfect for me. Jude would be 13, a teenager and Luke would be 15. I set in motion what needed to be done in order for us to go; however, it did not work out. Then in March of this year I was planning to speak at a Ladies Day in North Carolina where we had worshiped once before. They take a group each summer so maybe we could join them. That didn't work. It appeared that this summer was going to pass without us being able to go.
Then I spoke to one of my very best friends, Pam Solomon and she invited us to go with her family and a group out of South Alabama. They were headed to Jinotega, Nicaragua. After a couple of phone calls and a few emails, I had purchased three plane tickets (my boys and I) to join this group on their mission. David later committed to going and fortunately, all four of us were able to go as a family!

Flying to countries abroad wasn't even on my radar of excitement. For the boys, yes. Because they were almost too young to appreciate the opportunities of travel that they experienced at such a young age. Luke and Jude had had diplomatic passports at age 2 years and age 5 months, respectively. They had lived on three different continents by age 4 and 2 respectively and had stamped their passports in many more countries. But none of us had traveled and lived abroad as missionaries. Diplomats and missionaries have different perks, I promise you. So we had experienced a life overseas separate and apart from that of spiritual service. Service, yes, but not spiritual service. And it was the spiritual service that I found particularly challenging having not prepared for a life abroad without the support of a church family.

So, my level of excitement was in the realization of traveling to spiritually serve others in a foreign land. My level of excitement was in realizing what Luke and Jude would witness and how they would be forever changed. My level of excitement was the opportunity to share and participate in something greater than we had ever seen. And now my level of excitement was the opportunity to share this experience with some of our closest friends that our family has great love for. Thank you Westgate Church of Christ for this opportunity.

I understand that the Lord's commands of GO, isn't a cookie cutter expectation of mission work overseas. I fully understand that. I understand that there are tremendous opportunities right here in Franklin, Tennessee to be the 'hands and feet' of Jesus to those around us. I fully understand that. I have made it a priority to demonstrate love and compassion to those around me, both privately and publicly (in a teachable way to train Luke and Jude). I fully understand my responsibility as their parent, in this season of their lives. Not everyone will have the opportunity to travel and be a part of a mission effort overseas, I understand that. And that understanding is why I am so grateful and thankful for this past week.
One internal activity we had as a group while there was to write 'warm fuzzies' to others within the group...little notes of encouragement and of support. Those of mine that I wrote to David, Luke and Jude included mostly the same message...
'THANK YOU. Thank you for being willing to be a part of a childhood dream that I so had longed for...'

So, that is why this past week was so important to me. That is why my heart is filled once again. I am certain that this will not be our one and only mission trip effort as a family and I am certain that, given the opportunity to travel alone, both Luke and Jude will continue in mission efforts later in their adult lives. There is just something unique and special about a group effort, joining forces to serve God and have Him glorified...

This little snip-it was posted on one of Jude's social media accounts. I think it speaks perfectly for why, as a mother of two teenage boys, this effort was so important and fulfilling to me...

'This is me with some of the kids I met on this mission trip here at Nicaragua. This mission trip has been one of the best experiences of my life. I'm truly exhausted, but I'm also truly and deeply sad we have to leave. I had the chance to met some great new friends and I'm happy they welcomed me in all my weirdness. Anyways, I want to share some things from this trip. First, I want to say that it has humbled me and really put things into perspective. A lot of the 'necessities' of life that we think we need, we really don't. These people were living in small huts for large families, walking around in mud and cow poop all day, having little to no electricity, and not to mention not having clean water to drink. And yet they still found joy in what really matters in life. And here we live, sitting on a comfy couch, eating potato chips, watching tv. I had the opportunity to hang out with some Nicaraguan kids this week. There was a language barrier, but we found ways to interact with them. Seeing the joy on their faces was heartbreaking, and I'll tell you why. These kids, these precious little kids, find joy in some of the smallest stuff, things we could never find joy in. It was really evident that God was working through everyone on this trip. If I could do it again I would do it a million more times. I just want to say a few more things. One is that you can do a whole lot more than you thought you could. The girls had an opportunity to do this thing called 'casa materna', a program where they help young women. They said that they used tshirts to make diapers, bibs, and use the scraps to stuff pillows for the children. It was incredible. I'll leave you with this. If you ever get the chance to go on a mission trip, do it. It is amazing.

THIS. This is the 'why'!

To God be all the glory for all of the service done both locally and worldwide in His name!!!

(***Little disclaimer... Pics to be added later when Pam gets them edited and uploaded :)***)