Mission-Minded

Lately I have had such a pulling on my heart for missions and kids around the world.

Since I was a little girl I always wanted to be a missionary. I went to a very conservative Baptist church where we had a Mission Conference every July where the missionaries we supported (around 15 couples/families at a time - our church supported so many more - it was pretty awesome!) would come home to get support, set up booths and tables in the halls of our church, and a different one or two would speak each night about the awesome things God was doing in the country they served in. It was AWESOME and by far my favorite memory from going to that church for 15 years. One year we even had a couple stay at our home for the week - The Nortons - missionaries to Columbia. I remember them so well. I loved that their name was so close to mine (Horton) and that they stayed in my room while I slept in the computer room each night.

At the end of the conference we had the Missions Banquet where each missionary family would make food from the country they lived in. All of the food was served at different tables and in rooms that were decorated like their country as well. It was so fun and cool. They would even dress up in their countries clothing and shoes, hats, jewelry, etc. Throughout the week the children (I was one back then) had a different missionary teach them about their country, customs, etc. By the time the week was over every year I was just as sure as the year before that I was meant to go live in Africa or India when I grew up! For some reason Africa and India are the two I always said when I was younger - I even drew pictures of the continent of Africa and the country of India and colored them, etc. Kind of dorky, I know, but God had given me that passion way back then.

In high school, when I was 17, I went on my first mission trip to an impoverished town in Texas. I became incredibly attached to a little 4 year-old girl named Isabel and her cousin Gabe (6 years old). I pushed Isabel on the swing, I painted her nails, I played hopscotch with her, and I carried her on my back to and from her house each morning to go to the 'Backyard Bible Clubs' as we called them. I became, and still become so attached to the little boys and girls by the end of the week, it is like ripping a little piece of my heart out when I leave. I cry and cry and cry. I came home from that trip, sat at the kitchen table with my parents, cried, and told them I wanted them to sell my brand-new car and give the money to the children I had grown attached to in Robstown, Texas. They didn't, but at the time I think I would've been okay if they did. Unfortunately I'm not that unselfish the other 51 weeks out of the year. I went to McAllen, TX the next summer when I was 18, and again felt God pulling on my heart through the little kids I worked with. The summer after my freshman year of college I went back with about 15 of the same friends to Robstown. I knocked on Isabel's door (I remembered exactly where it was). Her mom answered first and we told her about the Backyard Bible Clubs we were going to have at the local park the next day. Isabel and Gabe both came to the door, both a couple of years older, and much taller! I wasn't sure if a 7 year-old would remember one week way back when she was 4, but I talked to her and told her we had been there before and she did remember. She gave me a hug. I walked back to the park to meet the rest of our group on Cloud 9, and of course, teary-eyed. I felt like that was one of the biggest blessings from God I had ever received. That summer after we left again, I wrote Isabel a few letters with an already stamped enevelope inside, which she sent back with one of her school pictures and a drawing of the two of us. She nicknamed me Spicy Mustard and Casey was Hot Sauce. So funny.

Well, I've grown up and I didn't go off to Africa or India (although if God told Casey that's what we were supposed to do, I'd have my stuff packed in a heartbeat. I think Casey knows that and is scared! Ha ha!). I have been across the world though, and even though it was 'civilized Europe' I've seen that they, too, need Jesus. Maybe it's even scarier there since they're not desperate for something to change like the AIDS orphans and homeless people in a less 'desirable' country are.

Anyway, even though I'm not on another continent, I still feel that I am supposed to be a missionary. Whether that means local or far away or just raising my kids to be mission-minded or adopting (which I have wanted to do for some time and luckily married someone who does, too!) or supporting missionaries financially and in prayer. I also feel that it means that I am supposed to take mission trips myself, even if they are short. I plan to make that a bigger goal in 2010. I have let the cost of a trip take control when it comes to going somewhere far with our church (ex. to Guatamala to start the children's home there) that I have been interested in. I know that I will always (hopefully) get to go on the week-long mission trips with our youth group -- which I am in no way discounting because I have seen so many children saved and even their parents at times. I love those trips. They are dear to my heart. But I want to start doing more. Giving more. Praying more. Going more.

God has put missions and missionaries on my heart and I just wanted to tell you all so that I could not only be held accountable for what I want to do with it, but also maybe inspire you to become more passionate about it as well. It is so important.

*Side Note:
Recently Casey and I were discussing places to take our high schoolers from the youth group this summer. We have taken them on 2 trips so far. We talked about the impact you can have if you continue to take high school students back to the same place every few years - an impact on both the high school student and the kid in the city we would travel to. An idea we thought of was having a 3-year loop. So for example, 2 years ago we went to McAllen... so our kids that were freshman in high school then, their sophomore year they'd go to Vados, NM, their Junior year to Robstown, TX, then their Senior back to McAllen again. That way, while they're in high school, they get to see the same kids twice - meanwhile the same kids get to be checked in on every 3 years! We'd basically get to see some of them grow up! Very neat.
Also, if any of you know of a place within 15 hours or so of Dallas, that is either impoverished or has lots of work projects to keep high schoolers busy for one week, please let me know. Casey is in the planning phase for this July when we plan to take another group of high schoolers on a mission trip. We like to have a place for them to work during the day (physical labor) and then a place with children to talk to/play with in the evening.