...missions work? please, no....

My mom is making me learn to type all over again.
I type fine.
Just...with the wrong fingers.

I think missionary work and typing are in the same category in Aubrey world.

Alright, so I was a volunteer at Mission ConnXion this year. We are assigned workshops and required to sit in and listen/help the speaker with random needs. So. I'm sitting in this workshop, and the guy starts writing on a whiteboard. He says: "What are some of the biblical mandates?"
Uh. What is he doing? We're at a missions confrence...

Ok. Fine. We all started calling out some of the mandates:
-Serve.
-Love G-d with your soul, mind, strength, and heart.
-Love your neighbor as yourself.
-Pray for those who persecute you.
-Go and make disciples of all nations.
-Care.
-Give to the poor.

There's just a few.
Now. He went on;
If you were an auto machanic, do you have to give to the poor?
Yes.
Do you have to love G-d with all your heart, soul, mind and strength?
Yes.
Do you have to care?
Yes.
Do you have to pray for those who persecute you?
Yes.
Do you have to love others as yourself?
Yes.
Do you have to serve others?
Yes...
(We knew where he was going by now...)
Now. Do you have to go and make disciples of all nations?
::silence::
"No?"
Why not?
::silence again::
"Well...we aren't called, right?"
The man swayed me, I hate this word "called."

Now. I'm asking you. Who all is "called," anyways? You're called to love, serve, care, etc, but suddenly we're not called to go and make disciples of all nations? Where's that written?

Alyssa serving at G4TH

Now. I understand we all can't go live in Africa. I'm not saying that. But for some reason, our comfy American mindset has convinced us that only the overly-spiritual ones get specially called to missions; and those people are the unlucky ones. Believe me, from my own experience, I can tell you that huge amounts of us spend our lives fearing being missionaries. I myself have sat around and thought, "I would be more than happy to do anything for G-d...(except living to Africa...)." I mean yes, I would love to go spend a month in Africa. Then come back home, take a hot bubble bath, turn on my electric fire place and read about the missions work other people are doing in Africa. Simply put, we all cross our fingers and hope we aren't one of those unlucky "called" people that have to go move to a foreign country.

The funny thing about it is, we're all called.

Worship at G4TH

 I believe there are people that have a special calling on their lives to go make a difference in another country. Most just move over there, lots dedicating their entire existence to the salvation of people in another nation. And yes, there are people here in America that are called specifically to discipleship. That's just as important! But that doesn't excuse them from evangelizing to people here in America- and hey, I see no reason whatsoever that keeps them from going overseas and see for themselves the starving and needy people of the world. They're going to come back changed for the better. They really have nothing to lose. We can even do things to help here in America. Gleanings for the Hungry, a ministry in California that I've served with 3 times sends food with the missionaries to give to the spiritually and physically starving.

Entrance to G4TH

There are lots of people groups that still need Jesus. Many that are totally unreached. We need people there. We have Christians here, and yes, they are needed. But we need to make sure and realize that you don't need a light in the heavens or a vision in the sky to sign yourself up to go make disciples of all nations.
And again, even someone called to locale pastoral work can evangelize to a Russian woman. That's making disciples of all nations! Maybe she's a locale citizen. Fine. You're helping make disciples here in America. But hey, she might just go home to Russia and tell her neighbor about this Jesus...
What's your excuse?

I thought I typed fine. And I thought I was living out my calling, too, up until about a week ago...
Aubrey