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Praise Points |
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"Trust Me, Try Me, Prove Me"
Like many of you, I had a hard time yielding my time and treasure for a mission trip. I thought a mission trip was time away from my job and my family, using my vacation time to do really hard, non-vacation tasks, and probably a personal expense that seemed an imposition. I really did not judge myself to hold any talents for construction, dentistry, fitting glasses, or any of the tasks that I envisioned as “mission work.” I was convinced that mission trips were for the youth, the retired, the church staff … anyone but me.
And yet that still small voice used the words of a 19th century hymn to speak to me saying, “Trust me, try me, prove me, saith the Lord of hosts, and see if a blessing, unmeasured blessing, I will not pour out on thee.” So when the appeal for a mission team to do “light construction” in Honduras was made, I started giving it prayerful consideration. Ultimately, I made my trip deposit all the while thinking this may not happen. As the time neared for airline reservations and payment of the full amount, I could see several unsettling events arising. The mission team was alternately growing and shrinking, the construction leader was blocked from leading by intervening events, and the real nature of the mission task was uncertain.
But in spite of these uncertainties, I found my heart growing stronger that this was a step on my spiritual journey that God wanted me to take. And besides, I told myself, I know how to swing a hammer—however inaccurately, but more importantly, John and Mary Kay Neidhamer would be our in-country hosts! “Trust me, try me, prove me, saith the Lord of Hosts…” The refrain was continuous in my head.
Six of us (photo) committed to serve in this small Central American country where “unmeasured blessings” were poured out! Our primary mission task at the Villa Gracia Retreat Center involved lots of painting, demolition of aging structures, and replacing a 8’ by 80’ ceiling under the watchful eye of our Honduran host, Christian. During breaks from our construction, we played soccer with the Bible study kids, who claimed Kansas as one of their own (photo).
But the real mission task was meeting and loving on the dear souls of Honduras---God bless them! We met street kids who had been rescued from the streets of Tegucigalpa and sheltered by the Christian workers in the safe haven at the Manuelito Project. We served snacks, washed dishes, and joined in Bible study with the children of the neighborhood of Berea Church. We visited the working farm school, Escula El Sembrador, which combines a 2400 acre working farm with a school that has given over 5000 students an opportunity to better themselves both educationally and spiritually since its beginning in 1954. This particular school also includes a Bible Institute that is a major source of pastoral training for Honduras.
We met and affirmed resident missionary couples who told us of their work and their privilege of raising their own funds to support their missionary vocations. We met business people, teachers, and farmers who shared about the “business of missions” and how they ran a retreat center and a large farm in order to support students and pastors in their education. Imagine my own surprise at getting an opportunity to teach project management and marketing methods to two groups who were trying to enhance their revenues to provide more children’s education and Kingdom growth. Do you hear “a blessing, unmeasured blessing . . . ?”
I confess that I found one of my “sweet spots” in my life’s journey in Honduras. I saw God in so many places there. From the spiritual growth we experienced as a missions team, to the joy of telling a little brown eyed, olive skinned boy named David Alejandro that Jesus loves him, to the satisfaction of sharing the principles of strategic planning applied to the business of missions, I was so blessed! “Trust me, try me, prove me, saith the Lord of hosts, and see if a blessing, unmeasured blessing, I will not pour out on thee.”
I offer this advice: slow down your hectic pace and listen. Do you hear the small, quiet voice? Do you feel the tug to reach out, to share, to underwrite, and to invest in Kingdom growth? Whether we are in the environs of Destin, in this great country, or outside its borders, we are challenged. The story of God’s redemptive purpose for all peoples flows throughout the entire Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s heart is the same. God’s salvation was and is for all peoples. Just as He promised Abraham that all peoples on earth will be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3), Revelation 7:9 confirms this when it says, “Every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne.” Jesus gives the Church the goal, “…And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations…” (Matthew 24:14) We are His Church. We are so blessed. Let’s resolve to “Trust me, try me, prove me, saith the Lord of hosts, and see if a blessing, unmeasured blessing, I will not pour out on thee.” Discover your inner missionary!
—Virgil Smith |
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