The Mission Trip Phenomenon

I have a love-hate relationship with mission trips – at least the ones that my husband takes 2 or 3 times a year. I love that he is fulfilling his calling to take the gospel to those who have never had the chance to hear. I love that he is walking out “true religion” (James 1:27) by serving the poorest of the poor. But, I don’t love the unexpected side-effects that tend to happen when he goes on one of these trips. We’ve affectionately come to call it “the mission trip phenomenon” around our house.

Inevitably, when he leaves to go on a trip, things start to go wrong – sometimes before the trip and almost always while he’s away. For example, he went to South America in January a couple of years ago. We had not had any measurable snow here in several years. However, while he was gone, we had about 8-10 inches of snow. And, since we live way out in the country, we have a VERY long driveway. So, in order to get the kids to school and myself to work, I had to shovel the whole driveway by myself. It took the better part of a day! Everything worked out fine, but did the biggest snowfall that we’ve had in the past 6 years REALLY have to happen while he was on a mission trip?

Or, take last year for example – He was ministering in a country that shall remain nameless. This trip was during the big H1N1 flu outbreak. I don’t think that I’ve ever had the flu in my life. However, while he was gone, my daughter got H1N1 and then I got it as well. It was not pretty…

And, just this week, as we’re preparing for him to go to Africa to work with AIDS orphans in Swaziland, we got a letter from the IRS saying that we’ve been audited! We sold our house 2 years ago, and apparently we have to prove that it was our permanent residence when we sold it. Come on people! We lived there for 10 years – and the IRS sent our tax return to that address every year! Where do they think we were living? The audit meeting was pre-set for next week – while he’s in Africa.

Last but not least – our smoke alarm malfunctioned at 4:30 this morning. First, let me say that I’m thankful it was a false alarm. But, still, it woke the whole house – including my husband who was hoping for a couple more hours of sleep before heading out on a 24-hour journey across the globe.

I could go on and on with these stories, but, at this point, you might be asking – Have you ever thought that maybe he should just stop going on these trips? The answer is – Of course I have! However, I’ve come to realize that when we look at all of this craziness with our natural eyes, it makes us want to back off. But, when we see it with our spiritual eyes, things look a little different.

Ephesians 6:10-13 says: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

You see, as Christians, we are in a battle. We have an enemy. And, the last thing that he wants us to do is to walk out our faith and to lead others into the kingdom of God. He wants to keep them for himself. He doesn’t want them to hear the truth. So, I believe that he’s the happiest when we’re the most complacent. If he can convince us as Christians to just sit back and “enjoy the good life,” then he doesn’t have to worry about us. We’re no longer a threat to him because we’ve effectively removed ourselves from the battle.

So, when I see all of these things coming against us as my husband heads out on a mission trip, it just serves to strengthen my resolve that we’re doing the right thing. The enemy wouldn’t be messing with us if he wasn’t worried about what we’re doing. If he’s messing with us, then that probably means that we’re headed in the right direction. When you’re on the frontlines of the battle, you’re going to get a little beat up every now and then. But, that’s ok, because the end result – the ultimate victory – is worth it!

Dear Heavenly Father, please help me not to be afraid to stand on the frontlines and fight for your Kingdom. Help me instead to put on your armor and stand firm in the face of the evil one.

“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” Matthew 11:12