First Church Year #28: Support
This week’s edition of the First Church Year series brought something different. Once again we didn’t go to our church. No, we didn’t skip church or take a break. This week we visited another church.
Don’t worry. We aren’t getting ready to begin a new church search. Been there. Done that blogging series. Don’t want to do it again.
No, this week we visited my daughter’s boyfriend’s church.
The reason we did this was because Lauren’s boyfriend (let’s call him John since that’s his name) John recently returned from a mission trip to India.
Just about everyone who went on this mission trip spoke. I didn’t take notes, so I don’t know what each one specifically spoke about. However, each one expressed what I would call several themes. These included:
- The poverty in India
- The love within the Church in India
- The focus on Christ in the Church in India
There was much more that could be said. However, I get asked sometimes why anyone would want to go on a mission trip to another culture when there are so many to help here. The fact is that in many ways followers of Christ in another culture like India can teach those of us here in the USA much more than we can teach them.
Have you ever gone to a foreign culture on a mission trip? Would you like to go on one?
I have never been on a foreign mission trip, unless war is called a mission trip and it is not. I don’t feel I would want to go on one either. I see so many in need here in the states, I think we would better serve the Lord right in our own back yard. I did run across a foreign missionary here in the states from South Africa, so other countries are sending missionaries here.
Walk daily with God at your side!
Ed
Ed, I find it interesting that I’m hearing more about other countries sending missionaries.
I have never gone on a mission trip to a foreign culture (unless you consider KY foreign). I kid. I kid.
I am ambivalent about going on one. I do not feel a burning desire to go on one. I have to admit I even question the impact of one. But that is another question for another time.
Bill, I understand. I think the impact could be more on the person and not the people they go to.
I’ve always wanted to go but never had the finances. Instead, we just support work in the countries by locals to the area. If ever interested in supporting a Bible school in Pakistan, look up my friend Pervaz Rehmat Masih on my FB. They are doing a great work in educating and spreading the gospel in very difficult circumstances.
Rhonda, I think we all should help however we can…by going or staying.
Great recap, Larry. I live in a foreign culture and we got the “there are so many to help here” pleas from friends and family when we decided to heed the call and move. Ironically, while that is true I also saw numerous folks, myself included at times, not helping them. That was a little tough to share. I don’t want to seem like the bad guy but I was not doing my part a lot of the time either.
God put a missionary to the US from Colombia in our lives to help us see what he wanted from us. At our final service in the US a dear friend used the illustration of 2 lakes in our state. Every Sat. and Sun. morning fishermen from our town pack up and drive south 2 hours to a lake while on the highway passing others driving north to fish the lake near us. He concluded “They are going to fish in another lake.”
Thanks Ken