We were discussing in our group devotion time about doing more than talking about our faith, and what it means to serve those around us and meet their needs. So many times we are asked what it is that we do when we participate in a mission trip. I have had people ask me what I am doing in Kenya. I came to the realization the other morning, that what I do should not be talked about. I should not provide a list of the things TI does. If you want to know what it is that I believe, if you want to know what it is that I do, go out into the community and serve those who are in need. I am sure that there are people who live in your community that need groceries purchased in order to survive the week. There are students in your area that need help with their school work, but cannot afford a tutor. If you would like, I am sure I could show you examples when I am around in Canada, or you can come here and get a feeling for it yourself. Just don't expect to leave what you do here, in Kenya. Take what you do back home with you and learn how to apply what you do in a third world country, to a first world country.
Some want to know if we are saving souls for God. The answer to that is yes, but not in the way that you are expecting us to. We are participating in God's plan for restoring of all of creation to Him. He is not interested in a person's spirit only. He is not going to raise their ghost so that a person can play a harp for him while sitting on a cloud. God is interested in the entire person, body and soul. God wants to have creation back to the perfect state it was in before sin entered the world. We all have the chance to operate in the plan.
Jesus was doing more than just making sure that people were going to heaven. He was restoring them to the Father so that creation was just a little bit better than it was. He was asked by John the Baptist, through his disciples, if Jesus was the one to be expected. Jesus did not respond by telling him how many people he had ushered into heaven when they died. His response talked about the sick that were healed. If you want to know if I am making a difference in the spiritual lives of others, I will ask you what you see when you look at the TI site. Children are being fed and educated, their widowed mothers and grandmothers are earning a living. Street girls are being taken off the street and given a home to live in, food in their bellies, an education, and are surrounded by people who love them for who they are, not what they can get from them.
Everything in life is spiritual, because God is in all and through all. When someone becomes a little bit more whole because of a need being met in their physical life, their spiritual life is affected too. We read in the book of Hebrews that the great heroes of faith did not see the end result of what they were doing. I will not see the end result of what I am doing while I am still alive, but I know that everything that I am doing is for the benefit of God's Kingdom when it is restored to the proper design.
I could never understand why I was feeling so awkward when people asked me what I would be doing. I now understand the reason. I had not contributed to the needy. I had given money to things, and I had provided clothing to organizations, but I never stepped into the lives of those who were in need and truly saw their need. My role here is still developing, but I no longer am ashamed that I didn't know how to answer people. For those of you who pray for me, continue to ask God to show me what it is that I am doing here. I need guidance on how to come along side the interns and help them understand their purposes when they are here and when they return to their homes.
I may be opening a can of worms for some people. However, as I stated in my blurb about me, I want to encourage people to make a difference in the world, and see the world as something bigger than their individual stories. I think that we as North Americans and Western culture people, have become too self absorbed. We need to look beyond ourselves and start making a difference in the lives around us.
Until next time....Grace and Peace.
