Different Thinking

If you know me personally, you probably know that I am going to Russia this summer.  You also probably know how excited I am to be part of E3 Partners Ministries’ mission trip…how excited I am to be participating in this mission alongside other people who are just like I am.

I’ve started thinking about a few things as my trip draws closer and closer.  One thought that has been consuming my mind of late is just how special missionaries are and how they tend to be called to certain places.  I’ve always known missionaries were special people and believed they were called by God Himself.  I’ve always considered them the “best” Christians because of this belief.

Never once in my life did I ever think I would be one of “those people,” one of the “best” Christians.  You see, I didn’t waste my time thinking I would ever be a missionary because I had already messed up my life.  I wasn’t the greatest parent and nothing about my life was impressive.  Adding the fact that I didn’t grow up in a Christian family with my imperfectly led life, I summed up that I would never be a missionary.

And, that’s how I thought until last year.  More honestly, that’s what I thought until about four months ago…

Last year, I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Guatemala.  I thought and thought about going, but really didn’t have a clue if I was going to go or not.  I spoke to God about it.  Then, I researched the trip.  That’s when I noticed that all of the pictures I saw of people doing missionary work in Guatemala looked the same.  The only thing that differentiated one from another was the people in the photos.  Of course, this made sense as I realized that many different churches conducted mission trips in this area.

My realization only bothered me for about a minute, if that.  My curiosity was piqued when I read an article that described some short-term mission trips as superficial, however.  When I contacted the author who’d written the article five years earlier, I was only mildly surprised when he reaffirmed his opinion regarding these types of mission trips.

Despite the author’s skepticism, I decided to submit an application to go on my church’s mission trip to Guatemala.  I thought the trip would be fun and I was excited to go with the members of the youth group that I co-led with another adult.  After committing to the trip, I learned that my group’s work was going to consist of creating a soccer field.  Somehow, that didn’t seem like an appropriate task for a group of missionaries, but I wasn’t the decision-maker…I was just someone who attended church, not a pastor or leader.  And, if my church’s leaders thought sending my group to Guatemala for the purpose of making a soccer field was okay, I agreed it must be.  Whether I was building a field, school, or church, I was going to have fun anyway.

Well, it wasn’t okay.  I ended up not going to Guatemala even though I was expected to.  I remember being disappointed that I wouldn’t be with my youth group, but I couldn’t justify making the trip.  I couldn’t justify making the trip because I ended up leaving the church that was sponsoring it.

One thing I accepted when I decided not to go to Guatemala was the obvious fact I was not meant to go on that particular trip.  I wasn’t meant to go because my sole goal for the trip was to have fun.  My mindset was completely wrong.  If I wasn’t going on a mission trip to talk to people about Christ, what was the point of going at all?  To put in a soccer field?  What good is there in having a bunch of missionaries put in a soccer field, anyway?

The Great Commission in the Bible reads as follows, “Go and make disciples of all the nations,[a] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you” Matthew 28:18.  If I understand this scripture correctly, it instructs missionaries to go and make disciples everywhere, in all nations of the world.  So…what was the point of me going to Guatemala as a missionary…to put in a soccer field?  How was that going to recruit disciples for God?

What is a disciple, anyway, I wondered.  According to a free online dictionary, a disciple is “one who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another.”  So, combining this definition with my understanding of the Great Commission, I determined that I am supposed to go to all nations, all places, and teach others about Christ.

My motivation for going to Russia is entirely different than the motivation I had for going to Guatemala.  I’m not going on this mission trip to have fun or because I’m eager to go overseas.  Instead, I’m going to Russia for the only reason that it is right to go on a mission trip.  I am going because there are people in Russia who are lost and looking to hear the word of God, people who want to learn and know about Christ.

I can’t tell you how I know this, but I am certain of it.  I know there are people there that are as eager to hear about God’s simple plan for salvation as I am to tell them about it.  So, I am going to teach anyone who will listen to me about Christ.  And, that’s enough of a reason, enough of a purpose for this trip.

Sometimes, I think we humans consider the Bible boring.  I guess that’s why some choose to do more on a mission trip than “just” make disciples.  I guess that’s why some choose to build things as “necessary” as soccer fields.  But, Christ’s words are quite clear and include no direction about building structures or clearing fields.  Yes, this time I will go on the mission trip I’ve committed to.  This time I will go because I am going for the right reason…and it is God’s.