I just got back from Spain leading a team to serve a couple of local churches that have relationship with my local church in New York. My team is awesome and we’re having lots of fun. There are some awesome lessons we learn on a missions trip that are generally useful for all of us in most situations, so I thought I’d share. Be blessed!
1. Be Flexible
“Hurry up and wait.”
At one point we were “running for our lives” to get to the bus stop on time…and then waiting fifteen minutes because the bus was late. And that was just one instance from the first day.
Things come up, plans change, and our job often isn’t to fight to keep them the same but to ask God what He has for us in each moment…to allow His love to flow through us no matter our circumstances.
For some of us this comes easier than for others. But the key is taking our focus off of ourselves, our comfort and our convenience. When we are focused on Jesus and those around us, rushing for a bus only to wait isn’t the end of the world!
2. Wake Up Ready to Serve
I’m not a morning person. And that didn’t magically change when coming here, though jetlag did mean that for a few days my body was just exhausted but didn’t really know when morning was.
I find something really awesome here on the mission field. When I wake up there’s an expectation that God has something for me today. Spending time in prayer isn’t a chore, it’s something I fight to carve out because I need it. I wake up with expectation.
Needless to say, that’s not my typical morning mentality.
So, why the change? Because I’m living with great expectation and great urgency. I came to Spain to serve God, to serve local churches, to see the Kingdom strengthened and expanded. And I only have three weeks, so every day is important. Thus, when I wake up, it’s only natural to be about the mission.
But is this really that dissimilar from the rest of the year? The time period is longer, but still finite…and not nearly long enough (from a certain perspective). I better give my everything everyday to participate in God’s mission – building His church. I may only have 50 more years, and there’s too much to do, but why waste a day or a week or a month or a year? Eternity is on the line!
I know that I’m going to be praying with greater expectation and urgency, and I trust this will change my approach to life and Kingdom living everyday.
3. We Can Change Lives
This might sound obvious, but it’s huge.
I pray to impact people around me. I work hard to bless the people around me. But yesterday, when one of the leaders I’ve been serving begins crying in appreciation for all the investment by my team…it hit me, we can really bless people. We can change lives.
Isn’t that awesome? I want to impact eternity, and my car, computer, and apartment aren’t going there. They’re useful tools for various purposes, but ultimately, if you want to impact eternity, impact people. And we really can, we can bless people tremendously. Pray for others, love on others, serve others, and know that Jesus can use you to change their lives.
4. Jesus Is Building His Church
I go back to this all the time, but it’s one of my favorite statements in Scripture. In Matthew 16 Jesus said, “I will build My church.”
I see that at home, but it’s so encouraging to see it around the world. Coming here, I see so much need, but I also see so many faithful believers sowing their lives. And I see amazing testimonies, people that are being discipled. Jesus is at work all around the world, y’all!
photo credit: Africa Renewal via photopin cc