Over the past three weeks or so, I've had a strange desire to just uproot and become a missionary in someplace like Africa or South America. I have this dream of taking the gospel to a region of several jungle villages, teaching and preaching and seeing the Kingdom grow. I dream of taking up a beautiful native wife and having a small hut in one of the villages. I dream of moving village-to-village, teaching and training and preaching. I dream of the villages being interconnected in a community akin to the early Church. I dream of entire villages gathering together to pray, worship, fellowship, celebrate, and explore God. I dream of a life defined by prayer, teaching, preaching, and sharing. I dream of an authentic community of Christians who see the beauty of the gospel and take it seriously.
Maybe this is just my desire to escape the consumerist, selfish, greedy, and indifferent culture in which I live. Or maybe this is simply my dream of escaping the diluted Christianity of America. We Americans do not take the gospel seriously enough (wow, what a stereotype); I must confess: "I am not exempt."
Maybe this is just my desire to escape the consumerist, selfish, greedy, and indifferent culture in which I live. Or maybe this is simply my dream of escaping the diluted Christianity of America. We Americans do not take the gospel seriously enough (wow, what a stereotype); I must confess: "I am not exempt."
10 comments:
DUDE THAT MAKES ME SMILE! Duuuude we could be missionaries together, and our wives will be best friends! lol. it could happen.
ooo by the way I am going on a mission trip this summer...you should check it out.
You guys are hilarious! :0D Keep the dream. It's been done and it can be done again. Go see End of the Spear though before you go running off into the jungle by yourself :0).
Seriously though, don't uproot just yet. Go check out the missions field and see if that's where God wants you. Go with Dylan if you can. I'd invite you to go to Ecuador in July with Cindy Garland and I but I don't think you'd have too much fun with us - ha! A couple of old broads. :0)
Anyway, I had replied to one of your questions in a 'comments' box on one of your blogs as to where out of the states I was headed. So you don't have to go back and find it, I am going to Ecquador (as I said above) with my brother, who is a youth minister in Alabama. His youth group with a few adults are headed there and he asked me to come along. Then I got to talking with Cindy Garland and Joe had already been over there. But he was mountain climbing. Make a long story short, it worked out where we are going to help out obviously and collect more information about this venture so as to maybe get people involved from Southwest to do overseas missions.
We'll see what pans out. God's leading on this one. I'm really excited to go and experience something so different! They've created an orphange over there and just finished doing a lot of building last year. This year Darren said that they are planning on taking a more 'hands on approach' with the kids. This should be real interesting.
Keep trying and experiencing different things. Your heart and head will come together when you've found His calling for you.
Remember everyone that America needs almost the most help spiritually in the world. Theres so much work to be done here too.
Which is one of my concerns, Tyler, because in some ways my 'other-country' desires might be a selfish escapist route from a place where ministry is just so hard. You are exactly right, Dude
must of been a bad taco moment
Bro, I understand the feeling to want to get away. My first thought is that if we can't live out the gospel here, then its foolish to think that we will live it anywhere else. Thats not to discourage going but just to say that we (Am. chch) have gotta step up where we are now. Secondly, the difference between the mission field here and in many countries, especially the Muslim world, is that here anybody can have instant access to the gospel thru countless means. In many other countries, that is not the case or if it is they take the chance of losing their job, friends, family, even life to hear the truth. So all that to say that stay or go, we gotta hear from God on the direction.
All you guys have to remember also that America has been preched to for years and they just dont respond...I'm not saying to give up. I'm just saying that there are people out there who HAVE NEVER HEAR THE NAME JESUS! Those are the people I want to reach. There are millions who havent even heard his name. America makes me sick with the things that it takes for granted and we have TBN preachers left and right, mega churches. I want to go to villages and towns where no one has even heard His name!
my advice: go where God leads you.
Don't worry about the needs of this country or that country, or if you are being selfish or selfless.
God will send you, it is your responsibility to go, period.
I agree with Mike. God has to lead the way. Stay open to his direction first and foremost. There are 'missions fields' everywhere. Here, there, everywhere :0).
There are abundant reasons for myself leaving the country and one of them is b/c we are soooo saturated with religion/gospel like Jason and Dylan were talking about. Half the time people here are so desensitized that they just don't get it or don't want it.
Then there are remote places that people have no access to the gospel. There is no internet or hardcopies or people who know about Christ in order to teach their own. That's the whole reason for overseas stuff.
Be still before God and wait on His voice and time.
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