Summer Lessons Learned

We have just completed four months of traveling throughout the USA and Canada. This trip has been multi-purpose, although sharing about tribal missions and inviting people to partner with us as we prepare for Paraguay has been the focus.  During this time, we have learned a few things that we'd like to share. They're here, in no particular order.

1. We are not special. I (Debby) had this idea, that when people knew we were raising support to go overseas to do missions work, they'd all jump at the chance to support us. How prideful! We are not more special than other Christians, just because we're going to Paraguay as missionaries. We feel we are being obedient, but we're not more special.

2. We are not in control. I know this one seems obvious, but we've learned it in a new and deeper way. We have shared about tribal missions many, many times this past year. But we can't make people give. Only God can do that. Only He can move in peoples' hearts to want to partner with us in this. And this naturally leads to the next point.

3. Freedom. Because we can't control peoples' responses, we are free to really share our passion for tribal missions. We don't have to worry about saying the exact right things, or making sure we're communicating as flawlessly as possible. The truth is, neither Bill nor I consider ourselves great communicators, and that's OK. Our support raising is not based on how well we communicate our passion, even though we strive to do it well. Our support coming in is based on God moving in the hearts of people to see the work that needs to be done, and prompting them to join us in the work. There is freedom in that.

The reality is, there are still over 2000 people groups who have never heard of Christ's finished work on the cross. People whom Jesus loves and died to save. Romans 10:14 "How then will they call on him whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?"

Now let us ask you? What is your part reaching the unreached? How are you involved in seeing the unreached come to Christ? Are you a sender? Are you a goer? Are you both? Or are you being disobedient?