Archive for ‘Cebu, Philippines’

Exactly one month from tomorrow, I will be in the DFW airport ready to embark on my journey across the pacific. If you’ve never been out of the country, that would seem like a pretty big deal, and it is. But if you’re like me, a missionary kid who grew up traveling back and forth across the pacific several times, I guess the only thing that would not be “the same old thing” is whatever they serve us to eat on the plane. But sometimes, even that is still the same (don’t get me wrong…I love plane food! breakfast especially…i’m just weird like that. haha! ). I hope this does not come across as a prideful “been there done that” thing because that is the least of my intentions. That’s just the reality of how it is in my case. To be honest though, sometimes I feel like I’m missing out on the thrill of going to a foreign land and being able to experience a different culture. I’ve gone through this phase of being all excited when I tell people that I’m going to be a missions intern with the WWW program this summer, but when they ask me where I’m going it’s like I’m almost ashamed to tell them that I’m going…well, home. It’s not that I am not excited about going home, because I really am and I can’t wait, especially since it’s almost been a whole year. I just felt like most people’s automatic assumption is that doing mission work at home doesn’t count, if I can put it that way. It’s like it ain’t (yes, I intentionally used “ain’t”) the real deal unless you go to a place you’ve never been, experience culture shock, battle the roller coaster of emotions that come with the anxiety of traveling that far away for the first time…and I could go on.  Maybe I’m over generalizing, but tell me I’m wrong. Tell me there’s no truth to what I’m saying. Even though I don’t agree with it, I let it get the most of me. Satan was playing the mind meddling game again. But then it hit me…”just going home”…”missing out on the thrill”…wait a second now…what am I really in this for? The adventure? being able to prove to people that i’m brave enough to take risks and step out of my comfort zone? is that what World Wide Witness is all about? I am not proud to admit that I have easily accommodated those thoughts. But as time went by…preparing for the trip, writing my fundraising letters, reading the assigned books for the class, listening to Gary and Larry (I’m always amused by how their names rhyme :]), practicing spiritual disciplines…after all of that, God has really spoken to my heart and convicted me of my true purpose in this. He changed it from “I’m just going home” (said in a shameful whisper) to “I’m going home!” (said with confidence and passion)…If I could pretend to be God, this is what I hear him saying to me:

“My child, I have planted a seed of compassion in you for your own people. Do you think that growing up in a missionary family in a foreign land has no purpose in your life? You know the language, you know the culture, you know Me. Use what I have blessed you with to bring them all home. Cebu may seem like home to you, but remember where your home really is – it’s here with me. Share the good news to these people that I have given you a heart for and just love them as I love you.”

This summer, I am going as servant of the Lord into a broken world – to a nation in need of the gospel…to people who hunger and thirst for the love of God. Adventure or no adventure…in or out of my comfort zone…here or there…it doesn’t matter. “Go and make disciples of all people in the world…” It’s not about me. Never has and never will be.

So let me try this again…

This summer…I’m going home.

Let’s bring them all home.