John has asked me to write the blog for today, so you will get a little different perspective of missionary life.
We are currently in Zambia. One week ago from today we boarded a plane in Houston, Texas, flew through the night, landed in London, went through passport control and security, waited about 7 hours and then boarded another plane for Lusaka, Zambia, flying through the night again and then arriving about 6:15 a.m local time. Most of our trips require at least two days to reach our destination.
I spent two-and-a-half concentrated days of packing to prepare for this trip. We usually carry 8-10 boxes of Bibles and books (this trip it was 11) intended for pastors and lay leaders. We have some very special friends who came over and helped us pack these boxes. In addition we brought Scripture-oriented items to give as encouragement and thank you gifts to people at conferences and Bible studies. We also contacted our hosts to find out how we could bless them with gifts for their families or specific things they needed. These things we packed in suitcases, along with our personal items. We also brought vitamins and aspirin, etc. to give to individuals. Since we are in and out of several different countries, it can be a challenge to match gifts with needs. I’ve learned to keep lists of what we’ve given before and what seemed to be the most helpful. Frequently we make notes on a trip of children’s ages and items we would like to bring the next time. One big hit is Texas pecans! Another is M&Ms and brown sugar. American families love Mexican spices, although they are now becoming more available in Africa and Russia. We even found tortillas in Russia - I made enchiladas for John’s men’s Bible study.
My responsibilities once we get to our mission site are different every trip. However, my role is constant - I am there to support John in his work. I love being his helpmeet on these trips. Sometimes that involves packing, repacking and organizing the things we brought with us. Sometimes it involves shopping for food and cooking or even hosting groups and individuals (although here we are being graciously hosted by the Musipa family so I am not doing that). I also handle administrative duties for GCI, which frees him up to focus on teaching.
I love to teach ladies’ groups and Bible studies and meet with individual women. I led a session for women on "The Spiritual Development of Your Children" this past weekend here in Zambia and a question/answer session as part of the seminar. Tonight we meet with couples to talk about evangelism in their neighborhood.
My biggest challenge on the mission field is not physical but mental. It is easy for me to start feeling that I’m not doing enough - and that whatever I’m doing, I should be doing something else. If I’m preparing to teach by doing Bible study, I should be praying or doing evangelism. If I am not teaching that day, then I start to think that I should be doing some kind of ministry activity. The balance between “doing” and “being” is delicate and something that I think, on this side of heaven, we will never have figured out perfectly. I think it is interesting that directly following Ephesians 2:8-9 (which speaks of our salvation being based on God’s grace and not our own works) we read Ephesians 2:10 which exhorts us that "we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." God has plenty for me to do - all prepared beforehand - to be involved in His work. My part is to be available and faithful to opportunities He provides. I can trust He is giving me what He wants me to do right now, and not look for something else.
I sometimes struggled with these same thoughts when my children were little and caring for them was a full-time job. Was I missing something God wanted me to give my life to? Now I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to invest in those little lives. God has a truly eternal perspective when He looks at our lives. Nothing is without a purpose. He is always using what He has built into our lives up to this point while also preparing us for how He wants to use us in the future. He sees both the beginning and the end.
I’ve been reading Ephesians in my quiet times (can you tell?). Ephesians 1:9 has really spoken to me, as He speaks of His gift of salvation through Jesus we are reminded that "He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him." Isn’t it wonderful to know that God’s intentions toward us are always kind?
By His mercy, II Corinthians 4:1 Eleanor Mahon Lusaka, Zambia – departing inland this morning for Kitwa, deep in the heart of the Copper Belt
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