On Mission Outside Our Comfort Zones

WMUV President Lucianne Warren shares how serving on mission can shape your faith.

Hello friends! It’s a new year. I know many people make new year’s resolutions. Whether you are one of these folks or not, I hope you are always resolved to live on mission by learning, giving, praying, and going for the spread of God’s love and kingdom. I would like to share with you a new opportunity in which you can help in sharing God’s love and living on mission.

Can you imagine waking up each morning knowing there is no food or clean water to start your day? We know this is a problem throughout the world and in some places even close to your home. This past summer, I had the opportunity to go to Peru to share with hungry and thirsty people, not only food and clean water but also sharing with them the bread of life and the living water of Jesus’ love for them.

The Covid 19 pandemic has left Peru one of the most devastated in terms of the number of cases and deaths per capita of any country in the world. Many people there have been affected leaving them hungry, dying, and sad. I went with a team of 7 people to share in a ministry there that helps meet the human needs of those in physical need but also meet the spiritual and emotional needs of those who are God’s children.

Why should you do a short-term mission trip when there are needs right here in your neighborhood, city, state, and nation? I would like to share with you some reasons that short-term mission trips have impacted me to be a better person and a better follower of Christ.

1. I experience a bigger world.

I can know about other parts of the world and the needs that are out there however, when I am able to see and experience it, I get a whole new frame of reference. If I only know this much world, (hands) it is hard to think beyond it however if I experience this much world, I have a broader sense of God’s many faces. My worldview is bigger which helps me realize how big God really is.

2. I become more grateful. 

I receive an attitude adjustment every time I go to another country. I know there is poverty in America, but many of the places in the world where I have been on mission are extremely destitute. It’s their way of life and they are very grateful for any gifts they are given. They’ve never experienced abundance and don’t know anything other than their way of life. I see people that look different from me but they have the same fears, feelings, hopes, desires, griefs, and smiles.

3. I discover how big my spiritual family is.

When I am serving alongside Christians in their native country, the Holy Spirit binds us together for a common purpose. We are bonded as brothers and sisters in Christ, working for the same purpose. We might worship together in a different language but are uniquely bound by a common purpose that crosses any cultural or racial lines.

4. God works in me in ways He never could when I am outside of my comfort zone.

When I am in a different culture, being asked to do things I’ve never done before, I am stretched spiritually, emotionally, and physically.  I discover gifts and abilities that I did not know existed in me. I am challenged and encouraged in ways that I don’t foresee or expect. I grow and realize that God often does more in me than I ever do for others.

5.    I help expand the kingdom of Jesus.

The Great Commission was not a suggestion. It was a commandment.  Growing Christ’s kingdom cannot be built without bold, radical obedience to Matthew 28:19-20 --- the great commission.

Missionaries are all over the world, but with the assistance of some short-term mission volunteers doing sometimes menial tasks, the full-time missionaries are freed up to do a lot of things they would not be able to do otherwise.

I challenge you to try something new in this new year. Or maybe you already know the benefit of accepting the challenge of Christ to live on mission outside of your comfort zone.

WMUV is entering a 3-year commitment to partner with the ministry in Peru to which I have been a part. If you look further on our website, you will find more information about this opportunity. Please pray for what God would lead you to do this year which may be beyond your current ways of serving Him. If you can’t go, please pray for this team and consider ways you can give to enhance the work the team will be doing. God bless you all.