As I write this, I am on the first leg of my 28-hour journey back home from Uganda. When you add the 9 hours I have been up prior to this flight, it means 37 long hours of just wanting to be home. At the same time, there were deep and rich rewards from the journey. Watching the pastors, teachers and regional overseers dance, worship and express their pure delight in what we all offered was priceless. In many ways I would like to stay and help them develop their organization, church planting and orphanage efforts. Yet my place is at home with my family.
While some of you have been on mission trips, some of you haven’t. For those of you who have not, it will really open your eyes to the depth of privilege we live in, here in America. You will never, ever truly appreciate what you have until you spend time in a 3rd world country. When you see the challenges they face and the environment in which they live, your heart weeps. Yet, there is a reason that their lives are so different. While I may not have the answers to that concept, I know God does. The important thing to remember is Hebrews 2:5 and know that the angels that rule that part of the world are different and have found a way to exert their power to the people’s detriment.
Each time I return from one of these sessions, I wonder if anything I have left will be of value. I know that people are different and will only accept what they believe is palatable or applicable to their beliefs and convictions. I also wonder what they think of us coming from a rich nation – do they find us arrogant. After we leave what do they think about our approach to telling them how to read scripture and apply it in their very different lives. I know from Isaiah 55 that the word never falls void, but I am human and what if my communication was not acceptable? I must then go back to Isaiah 55 and know that it all will not be voided. God will use what He will use. We just have to be willing vessels.
On each and every trip I have made new friends who are like-minded in their hopes to make a difference in others by spreading the Gospel. The best part is that I always see how each person is so unique in their approach to the same objective. Some more passionate, some more deliberate, but each one has their effectiveness – I can see it on the faces of the men, women and children that appreciate our presence.
What concerns me most is what happens after we leave. Have we hyped them up only to let them go back to their existence in the same, less than American standards? The answer is NO, HECK, NO. If nothing else, we have spoken the truth and built a foundation of hope. If we believe Romans 5:3 – 4 is the Universal process of life, they just experience it differently than we do. They may not have as much as we do, but they probably do not have as much stress as we do either. Life is more simple and basic, allowing more time to commune with God rather than meet schedules and demands. Sometimes I am just not convinced that our world in Jacksonville Beach is perfect – as much as I love my home, friends and the community that provides me with such great joy.
The one thing that I always cling to at a time like this is that I am trying. I am simply making an effort with the skills I have to serve God. I do not say it is right for any of you, but it is the path I have chosen. I do not expect it to be yours. I expect you to walk the path of service to others, but the way God tells you to do it. Don’t invest your whole life in yourself – it will prove to be an effort of frustration. We all have insatiable appetites that this world simply cannot satisfy. There’s always more to want. The key is to figure out what else you can give to help others experience God’s love. You’ll never walk away ungratified when you do that. Love Dad