rebelling against low expectations
When we hear the word “missionary,” we usually think of someone in a foreign country spreading the Gospel amidst constant persecution. We sigh, feeling guilty that we aren’t helping to “make disciples of all nations” because we have fridges, soft beds, supermarkets, vehicles, hospitals, plenty of food and water, and relatively easy lives. But the truth is, you don’t have to travel overseas to be...
A call is heard from far away From over sea and land Of lives expiring every day Like an hourglass of sand. To the ears of our hearts They call without words, From the world’s farthest parts They’re desperate to be heard. With broken souls and hungry bones They cry for what they do not know; With blind eyes and hearts of stone Day by day their needs grow. They don’t...
I sat on a low concrete wall at the edge of the river. Across the river in front of me, a mosque stood guard. Throughout the day, prayer calls reverberate in the city from this and the several other mosques in my small town. The architecture was beautiful. But that day my heart felt so heavy. That day, I was the only known Evangelical Christian in the entire town, and for many, many miles. I am...
Should I enter the mission field? Who should I marry? What career do I choose? The teenage years carry with them a world of daunting decisions. At times it can feel as if the rest of your life needs to be mapped out by senior year. You may frequently wonder “What is God’s will for my life?” and wish He’d reveal the answer on a flashing billboard. God’s will just...
Footsteps! I clicked off my flashlight and hid my book under my blanket, waiting for my parents’ footsteps to pass. The next two minutes seemed to take forever as I waited to make sure they weren’t walking by again. The coast was clear. Breath in. Breath out. I really should go to bed, but just a few more pages until the end of the chapter . . . Surely, I wasn’t the only one doing this in middle...
International mission work has increasingly been on my heart lately. If only you could see the passion in my eyes and hear it in my voice as I say that! After attending the Cross Conference in January, I texted some friends, “This is what I was created for!” I’ve been poring over Isaiah 6, when he is commissioned, reading it over and over again with a longing heart. Verse 8 says, “And I heard the...
At six years old I sat at my windowsill, gazed out upon my quiet little neighborhood, and whispered the prayer, “God…please send me to Africa.” Here I am, nine years later, sitting at my desk, writing this out as an overseas missionary in West Africa. Goodness, our God works wonders, doesn’t He? But it wasn’t until I became an overseas missionary that I realized the value of not being one. If...
What would you expect from a man who had just lost his wife and child in the middle of a jungle? And not only that, but was stuck in the middle of a raging civil war? Would you expect panic? Fear? Desperation and despair? The last thing you’d expect is for him to still be able to smile, laugh, and extend his help to others, right? Meet Eliya Samson This is the exact kind of man that missionary...
rebelling against low expectations
