Note: I asked some of our students and trainees to review one of my articles and tell me what they think about mission. I just can't help but publish this. Please read to the end. I have chosen to publish it the way it was written; although it has a few errors, you can't resist the fact that this young missionary has had an indelible experience. You can let me have your thoughts after reading. Be blessed.
WHY BECOME A MISSIONARY?
I recently, read about three (3) xaverian missionary
nuns murdered in some part of Africa over the weekend. Women, who gave up
everything in life, choose to follow the Lord even in their their old age. The
same people they came to help raped and murdered them in cold blood. How sad
can this be!? They loved the people, villagers and children; shared the gospel
with them and yet they died for the course of Jesus Christ. I will say they
were women in love with God and those they served.
Mission can be said or define as the act of sending.
To send someone, or group of people to carry out a mission or an assignment in
a place or a particular country. Or to be a witness in an event, cross-culture,
preaching, educate, give healthcare, evangelize or give service to a group of
people or a village. Been called to do mission, is indeed a privilege to be
involved in God and the things of God. It is a great opportunity to be called a
missionary and to do mission.
Who is called to do mission? A missionary is one who
is called to do mission, follow Jesus Christ in total service to God. Also a
person who dedicate his or her life in total fulfillment to God, by preaching,
teaching, making disciples, spreading the gospel of Christ with everyone he or
she comes in contact with. When you are called to mission, you should have great
knowledge about serving God and his people. As a missionary, you sacrifice your
life, food, money and material possessions for the people you are called to
serve. As a missionary you are expected and required to go extra miles to
making them happy and comfortable in their state of living. It is your
duty to lead them to Christ, share the
gospel with them, let them know that God cannot and did not forget or abandon them
in their present living condition. Being a missionary, you live with them, eat
with them, respect their cultures and traditions; yet show them the way that
leads to Christ. God picks who He wants to use to do His work; as a missionary,
you did not send yourself to your primary assignment. God choose you for the
job, you are there to meet the need of His children; God expect us to minister,
love, care, educate, provide, preach and teach His people who He (God) is. He
sent you for His purpose, so as to bring mankind back to Him.
Everyone loves comfort. Nobody wants to
go through the hard and painful life or being uncomfortable, when he or she has
all it takes to be comfortable. A lot of people left the comfort of their
homes, beds, good living and the amazing luxuries of their fantastic jobs; all
in the name of doing missions. Being a missionary, you are called to service
and living a hard life. A great man used to say to me “my dear, you need to
suffer now so that you can enjoy tomorrow.” I left the comfort of my country,
home, family, life, job, business and relationships just so that I can be here.
I didn’t like the fact that I could not wear my pretty dresses, fantastic high
heel shoes; carry my designer bags, nice hair-do like and etc. When I look back
now, I tell myself that it all doesn’t matter anymore to me now. In life, you
sometimes don’t have a need of so many things; you need to be uncomfortable if
you want to see the glory of God in your life. He expect you to give up things
you love so much; like putting it in the garbage can and putting on the clothing
of service and also getting dirty and messed up by doing missions.
I have heard a lot of things happening
to missionaries today; how the women and
young ladies are been raped and killed, young men got killed in the course of
serving God. Trust me, it is so much risk and many people are afraid to come to
give help to the people in need. The risk of walking on the street without
knowing what awaits you, the risk of helping some kids in a village and some
men in that village come to you, saying “if you don’t allow me sleep with you
we will kill all the kids in your care”. What will you do? Will you let them
kill the kids or save them and let them have you? In life, we all go have to go
through or take some kind of risk and ask God to help us overcome it. In all,
if you are a lover of God you will know that this life I have is not mine, but
it belong to the lord; you will do anything that will please the lord. You may
say to yourself I am going for mission, and will return back in peace; that is what
I call faith. God always makes a way for His own, and shows up in time. So
people; what is worth doing is worth doing well. Choose this day who you will
serve, for me; I will serve the lord my God who made the heavens and the earth.
The life that I live today does not
belong to me, God gave this life so that I can use it to glorify His name; and
also use it to bless the lives of many generations born and yet to be born. I
never knew I had the grace of God upon my life to serve Him. As a young fresh
graduate, I had dreams of working and owning my business; in the course of
planning and also trusting the lord for open doors after my service to my
country. I will like to be established, I knew I couldn’t do it alone but I
need God to carry me on. I can still
recall how He sounded to me, when I asked Him what will be the next chapter of
my life; and He said to me, give me one (1) full year of your service and see
what becomes of you after then. That is how come I am called to do missions.
I have seen things in this country, how
kids walk several kilometers to school and walk back home after the close of
school; they walk to church and everywhere without shoes on their feet. It is
heartbreaking, how this people feed, what they put on their body and yet happy
with life. I saw and still see little babies and kids without cloths on and
even when they do, you see that it is total rags, playing in weather that is 16
degrees Celsius, yet happy in the cold. It is amazing how God preserve them. They
say primary education is free for all in most countries in Africa today, but
yet some kids can’t even get it free or afford to go to school. I saw some kids
in the course of my visit to the villages; they have never seen a real building
or been in school since birth yet many of them are about 8-10 years old. And I
felt for them, and cried to God to help me sponsor some kids; which I have done
and there is great joy in my heart. Because, I have been able to help a child
to get a good education in life. I see the older people, no way of getting
help, food, cloth, shoes, and good living conditions. Their homes have no roof, some roofed with
banana leaves and when the rain comes, they sleep in it with their children
like that. While so many of us have beautiful homes, expensive televisions,
classy phones and so on. Some don’t even have bicycles but we have all the
exotic cars, not one but cars.
I challenge all those out there to give
to missions, you may just be saving a child, helping a family or saving a whole
Christian village at large. When I was still back home, I was told how some
people, old, young, families, kids and villages need help. I did not understand
it. But I know better now. So many of us can’t come for missions; but we can be
part of missions. I encourage you to support, and help the kids in need of your
help and you will get your rewards in hundred folds.
I love this mission of God, In my next
world, if there is anything like that, I will do mission. Mission it is.
OM.
