As some of you know, I went on my first and only mission’s
trip last summer. With a team of 13, I went to a rural village in Cambodia and
helped build a simple church. I never planned on being a missionary; in fact, I
never wanted to do so. But one of my daughters, who had participated in
long-term missions in Thailand and China, talked me into it.
I went, feeling totally incompetent, but willing to use
whatever strength, knowledge, and skills to help build this village church.
What a joy it was to participate, interact with the village people, and help
them reach a goal. The icing on the cake was learning, that by providing the
village people an additional $1200 per year, the building would serve double
duty as a school for the village children, and that amount would pay for
materials and a teacher.
And so that was Jimmy’s big adventure, and I felt, “There,
I’ve done it.” Little did I know that I would be invited to participate yet
again, on a trip to Vietnam. This time, I am not being asked to go as a
builder, but to capitalize on 30 years of teaching experience, and work with
eager locals who want to learn English.
So why send a group of twelve from the US all the way to
Vietnam for this short-term mission effort? Can’t they just find people to
teach English there? They can and do. Then what is the point?
As I learned in Cambodia, the value of the outreach has very
little to do with the actual labor. After all, there’s nothing magic about US
workers helping build the church the people there already know how to build.
True, they needed financial support to make it happen, but the Khmer people
could have completed all the labor, in time, by themselves. The power of the
outreach was in building relationship and being encouraged by brothers and
sisters in Christ coming from the other side of the world to help. The village
people were overwhelmed by the generosity. And we, the helpers, were
overwhelmed by the love of the village people.
Watching the news, we get inundated with the message that
America is the object of hate and wrath from abroad. In Cambodia, I did not
experience that at all. In fact, the opposite was true; the rural people adored
Americans. Why? Because the Americans they had met or encountered had come to
help them build a simple church – which served as a place of worship, a school,
and a central meeting place. I couldn’t help but wonder of the benefits of this
simple act, and relatively low cost, versus government entourages meeting in
austere buildings and seeking diplomacy.
In Vietnam, the “building” to take place will be in
relationship and education. There is an unnamed restaurant in an unnamed city
that serves as an attraction to locals coming to learn English from Americans.
They also come hungering for the gospel. Despite the dangers, there is no
denying the Truth. People want to know more about it, talk about their life,
and are refreshed by the prayer brought by American friends who traveled a
great distance to encourage them.
As I learned in preparation for my only other mission’s
trip, there are “goers” and “senders.” Not everyone can, wants, or is called to
go. They may believe in the value of the outreach, and desire to support it;
they are the senders. Goers can, want, and are called to go. Some can pay out
of pocket, and others don’t have the means to do so. I am saving, but to
participate, I will need help. It is a humbling thing to ask others for
support, and I don’t do so lightly.
If you believe there is value in such an outreach and would
like to be a sender, I would be honored to go. I do know how to teach English,
and I do know how to share the love of Jesus. I am willing, desirous, and have
been called.
There is a Donate button that is run through PayPal. If you
decide to help, would you please leave me a message in the PayPal process? I’d
love to thank you, AND… if I don’t obtain sufficient support, I need to return
your money!
Thanks for reading. In God’s Grace, Jim
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