Four reasons NOT to go on a mission trip
We recently received a letter from Mark Preddy, who joined our 2009 mission trip to Liberia (in partnership with his church, Southside Fellowship). His honest, heartfelt response to how God worked in his heart was so touching we asked permission to share it.
Roland,
I haven’t had a chance to formally thank you for guiding me through my first trip to Liberia last November. I cannot express how appreciative I am to you.
For me, the trip was a culmination of me giving in to the Holy Spirit’s tug on my heart to do missions. I had used every excuse in the book not to get involved…not enough time, not enough money, I don’t feel comfortable witnessing, I don’t have the skills needed (not a doctor or carpenter), and so on.
Can you relate to Mark’s fears? He outlined four reasons not to go. Many people have a secret arsenal of answers for NOT joining a mission trip. The answers are logical and comfortable…and they stick. As a result of putting off or ignoring the Spirit’s tug, other people are sent to do God’s work in a foreign land; others leave with their ‘super-human’ missionary talents. And when others return with stories of answered prayer, changed lives, tears, and difficulties, the Spirit tugs again. And the Spirit continued to tug at Mark’s heart.
“Go.”
And Mark went. Instead of trusting ‘self’, he followed the Spirit’s prompting, and trusted God to provide…money, time, confidence, and a purpose for him to be a part of the team headed to Africa. His letter continues,
“Now I’m hooked! The folks at Southside Fellowship have asked me to go back to Liberia this coming November, and I’ve agreed to go. I cannot wait to see how God has affected the lives of those in Liberia.” – Mark Preddy
What about your reasons? It’s always fascinating for us at Water of Life to see what God has in store for our trips. We never know what He has planned or who He will send. But we have seen – over and over – that those who give up their excuses and trust God’s prompting have never regretted it.
Water of Life/a.a.gray
