Sending out missionaries is one of the most important things we do at Plainfield Christian Church. In the next couple months, we will be sending a new missionary couple overseas. (We cannot reveal their identities online due to security reasons.) Here is the story of how God began to call them to missions:
“I am not a morning person, not even one little bit. Ironically, my husband is very much a morning person. So, most mornings as I’ve slowly open my eyes to the world and my cup of coffee, he has been out running and thinking for hours. One such morning about four years ago, our lives would change even as I sat with my coffee and became fully awake.
We had recently watched a movie set in a South Asian country. The images and reality of the poverty was something we couldn’t shake and left us asking God, “What would you have us do with this knowledge?” Prompted by the Holy Spirit, we had found a prayer calendar and started to pray daily for South Asia. One normal morning I was sitting in my usual spot, drinking coffee and reading my Bible when my husband walked in. He asked if I had read the prayer prompt for that day. I had not. The prompt shared that the number of Jesus followers in this country was too low to realistically reach the number of people that lived there who didn’t know Jesus. More believers needed to move overseas in order to make Jesus known in this place. It was then that my husband asked a question that changed everything: “People need to go. Why not us?”
What is your reaction when God invites you to join him in the work he is doing? Do you get excited? Nervous? Do you worry about embarrassing yourself or letting God down by saying or doing the wrong thing? Do you ever rationalize away the invitation because it could make you uncomfortable? I have had many of those reactions. That morning, I immediately began to cry. I knew it was not my husband asking me, but that God was speaking through him: “People need to go, why not us?” I thought of my three sleeping kids down the hall. I thought of all the things that are comfortable to me. I thought of all the ways I felt safe in my house in the suburbs. And I cried at the invitation from God. Over several months God showed me many things about myself, gently revealing my fears and my idols. At the same time God began to teach my husband and I why he uses people to accomplish his ministry.
God invites flawed, scared, unimpressive people to join him in the work he is doing. Have you ever wondered why He does that? He certainly doesn’t need our help. He is all powerful, all knowing and able to control all things. He didn’t need Moses to free the Israelites from Egypt. He didn’t need David to defeat Goliath. He didn’t need the bread and fish from the boy to feed thousands of people. He didn’t have to pass on his ministry and teachings to the disciples. He didn’t need people for any of those things. But yet he still invited people to get involved. I think he wants us to partner with him so he can teach us about himself, ourselves, and his heart for the world. God loves the world. He wants all people in the world to know about and experience his love firsthand. And he offers us opportunities to participate in this amazing work. We just have to say “yes.”
So the next time you feel the Holy Spirit prompting you to say or do something, I challenge you to fight the temptation to become worried or anxious or ignore the prompting. Instead, recognize that all-power, all-capable God is inviting you to join him in the incredible opportunity of blessing someone else with the love that he so freely offers.”
The church will be hosting a special sending service for this couple on Sunday, July 31 at 6:30pm in the Worship Center. All are welcome to attend to worship with us, hear more about the story of this family’s call overseas and pray for them as they are sent out. We hope you are able to come to support this couple.