This post has been bouncing around my head for the past few days. It’s a hard post to write. It makes me uncomfortable and I hate to be uncomfortable.
I am a typical, spoiled, selfish American.
Ever since I’ve been saved and heard it preached that we need to go out into the mission field, I’ve said “Lord, just don’t send me to Africa.” You know the attitude. It’s not that Africa is the only place in the world that needs to hear about Jesus, but that’s typically people’s first reactions when you start talking about missions.
There were a few representatives from Compassion International at She Speaks last year. The rumor came to our table that they were looking for some bloggers to go on their next trip (at the time to the Dominican Republic). Robin got a light in her eyes — a passion burning deep inside her. She wanted to go on a trip with Compassion. She got excited and started talking about how awesome and hard it would be to go on a trip like that. I shrunk down in a corner thinking, “God, please don’t send me to another country. I have no desire whatsoever to go.”
Robin applied to go, but wasn’t chosen for the Dominican Republic trip, but she was chosen for the India trip. She’s there right now. Her writing is so awesome I cannot even describe it … my words fail. Her stories along with the others I’ve read are breaking my heart and bringing tears to my eyes.
In all honesty I have a bad view of India. Many friends and a few family members have been laid off from a big company around here that is sending all these jobs over to India. I know it’s not the people there’s fault, but it just makes me mad. I think the company is taking advantage of people over there and they are affecting our comfortable lives over here. Ouch.
From these stories I’ve been reading and pictures I’ve been looking at, it’s surreal. I cannot imagine being there. Being uncomfortable in no-air-conditioning and 110 degree weather.
I talked to a couple of good friends of mine a few years ago about missions. I told them my heart doesn’t hurt for people in other countries and I feel guilty about that. I know in my mind that we have tons more than they would ever have. But I don’t feel a passion … a huge desire to go to another country. My heart hurts for the people I see in this country. The ones who are walking around, dead inside. The ones who have all this *stuff* and still aren’t happy. They don’t know the peace of God.
“You’re just home missions minded,” they told me. The mission field is all around us … the people we see everyday … and even the people we don’t see everyday but talk to on the Internet. I may be selfish wanting to sit in my air-conditioned house and say the Internet is my mission field, but I desire to follow God’s will for my life. My talents and knowledge put me on the Internet … not in an office and not half-way around the world … at least not physically.
So back to my buddy Robin in India. Even though God chose not to send me and to send Robin (a wise decision indeed), there are many things we can do to help others who are passionate about international missions.
- The most important thing we can ever do is pray! Pray for the team in India; for their safety and wellbeing; for their minds and hearts to be able to process all they see; for God to give them the words and reliable internet connection to relay to us what they are seeing.
- Sponsor a child. I have been struggling with this one for quite awhile. I think we should sponsor a child, but then I get caught up in our “lack of money.” I’m going to talk to Duck about sponsoring a child through Compassion. I need to get Doodle into this too. She truly doesn’t realize how well she has it.
And if you are so inclined, say a quick prayer for me to be less me-minded and more others-minded. Thanks.
Here’s Duck singing a very relevant song … I think the name is “My House is Full” but don’t hold me to it.
Keep track of all that’s going on with the Compassion Bloggers in India this week:
- Blog posts
- Flickr Group (pictures)
- Search on Twitter
Pray about sponsoring a child today!
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Wow, Lisa…do you know how much you bless me? NOT with just your sweet words about me, but with your honesty, too.
I love how God is changing your heart ALREADY to be more mission-minded; your post alone is evidence of that. PLEASE don’t feel guilty about the restrictions you put on yourself relative to travel abroad–a) you might change in a few years (says the girl who’s scared to fly yet just flew 18 hours one way!), and b) there is NO condemnation in Christ! God knows you, he created you, and he might just want you to minister right! here!
Thank you for telling people about the trip; after seeing these kids and learning there are hundreds at the projects we’re visiting without sponsors, I’m so grateful for everyone whose heart is pierced and is moved to sponsor
.
Love you, girlieQ!
(p.s. Get Duck to read these posts….how can you not sponsor when you hear all these stories??)
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