I am fascinated by CULTURE and always will be. It's incredible to me how differently people live around the world. I am so intrigued by other countries and the people that live in them. I'm also intrigued by missionaries who go to remote places and really dig in and get things done for God. Sometimes it's all I think about. Don't get me wrong---I love the USA and I am very PROUD to be an American (most of the time). But I am always imagining myself in SOME OTHER COUNTRY. Partly due to a desire to actually BE THERE, and partly just thinking about what it would be like to be there (the great mysterious unknown adventures to be had). I'm not sure why I'm so taken with BEING SOMEWHERE ELSE. It used to be discontentment, but I no longer feel it's that. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe a burden God's given me for a reason?!? It's been ever since I was a little girl. I mean, I can remember being 5 years old and playing "missionary nurse in Africa". This has been a lifelong thing for me.
So I've been thinking about this in a new light. At first, it started out as a completely unrealistic thought process. Basically, I thought that if I ever came into a whole lot of money and didn't have to work for awhile, I would plan out an entire YEAR of travelling to all of the places I dream of visiting. Except instead of doing the tourist thing and spending ridiculous amounts of money on frivolousness, I'd visit missionaries in those places. I'd stay with them for 2-4 weeks and get to see first-hand what they do. I'd take each of them a big package of things from America that they miss having. I'd try to encourage the missionaries I visit and somehow help them out. And I'd spend a little time learning enough of the language to roughly communicate with the people there.
This would just be amazing for me. BUT, there's little to no chance that I'll ever have the funds for such an excursion. A whole year travelling around doing nothing else!?! Highly unlikely!!
BUT what if I just went one place every year? That HAS to be doable! Especially with teaching and having summers off, I could take the time to do such a thing, even for us to go as a family or for me to go with the kids. The more I think about this, the more I want to MAKE IT HAPPEN. I'm serious. Instead of pouring money into big vacations, I want to do a "family missions trip" once a year for the next however-many years. I love to imagine all that Hannah and Matthew would learn, too, and how it would open their eyes to the world and to missions. I think it would fill this constant "void" in me of wanting so badly to be directly involved more in foreign missionary work. I don't know, maybe it would make it worse, but it would give me something to work toward every year, and save for, etc. etc. etc.
When I was at college, I saw a missionary documentary called "Ee-Tauo" about an evangelistic outreach in Papua New Guinea. It affected me for a long time because it was so inspiring. And just tonight, I found a part of it on YouTube. WOW. Watching it again made me so excited again for those missionaries that were there, and what the tribal people experienced. This is about 10 minutes long, but if you have the time, please watch it! It's awesome to see the Holy Spirit working in hearts-and to see people come to understand for the first time- what Jesus did for them. It overwhelms me with excitement. And I think I will begin planning the first Blanton mission trip very VERY soon! Somewhere close like in Canada?!?!? ;-)
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4 comments:
You know, Davida, our pastor encourages the same thing...Take a family vacation to the mission field instead of spending all of it on a frivolous vacation. And as he says, "DON"T go to Canada when you do it." LOL
But, since you're already almost there.....it might be a good place to start.
Ya, mostly 'cuz I'm REEEAAALLY poor right now, but I may be able to make the trip north, instead of south, you know? I've been in contact with a missionary family in northern Alaska that lives in a remote village. You can only fly or dog-sled to it in the winter months. I really want to go up there sometime and be with them for a few weeks. Show my kids the "real" Alaska. There's lots of alcoholism and suicide and depression in that village (all native Aleuts there). Lots of ancestral ritualism and spiritism. Theirs is a really hard ministry. Really hard winters too. Anyway...maybe someday we'll get up there... :-)
I can totally see you there! I've always pictured you as the mountain doctor in some remote place. I think it is a great idea to save up for, even if it doesn't happen until retirement, or something. I wonder if your church or your denomination has some major projects you could join up on. I know that 2-3 people from our little church have gotten to go to Africa and Israel with our E-free denomination. And there were lots of Hurricane Katrina outreach opportunities, too. I don't think the strong desire is there for no reason. I believe God can open that door. I think even of our Great Grandmother who prayed that her son would become a preacher, she never saw it in her lifetime, but our Dad came to Christ, and became a missionary. God does answer prayer!
Like your new blogs! So good to catch up! Sometimes the old one just wouldn't show up.
Kendra
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