Never the Same Again

There’s a Spanish saying, “He who leaves never comes back, even if he returns.” Let's think about this in the light of missions and missionaries. How has your journey changed you? Why are you different?

Another Spanish saying is: “I didn’t change. I only learned, and learning isn’t changing. It’s growing.”

I’d like to spend a little bit of time challenging you to use your missionary journey—whatever stage you’re in—for learning and growing.

Sometimes, the journey can just feel like necessary tediousness.

Deputation is one church after another, travel, tiredness, trying to keep the kids clean and appropriately dressed—while you try to do the same. Deputation can feel long and unending, and we all have our horror stories. Sometimes, missionaries feel like itinerant beggars while trying to raise support. They might have lost the learning and growing in this stage of the journey.

Newbies arrive with stars in their eyes. “We’re finally here,” they say as they unpack, take hundreds of pictures, and begin to learn the fine art of driving, shopping, and figuring out how to do the basics. The stars quickly dim as language learning begins and people stare and them and simply won’t listen. If you’re in the dimmed-eyes stage, you might be missing out on the learning and growing.

Second termers are excited about a new church plant, and they are gung ho. The church is prospering, and God is good. Then comes the criticism. Jealous missionary brethren attack. Co-workers betray. People they’ve led to the Lord turn their backs on them—and seemingly, on God. Disappointment in people can totally blind these missionaries to learning and growing.

Veteran missionaries might find themselves in a rut. Day after day, they strive to be faithful, to be a light in a dark place—the place they call home. They know by this time what works and doesn’t. They understand the field so well they’ve become one with it. They need spiritual and mental refreshment and don’t even realize it. They may have quit learning and growing.

What will help us learn and grow? There is only one answer. We absolutely positively need personal time with God. There are three elements that will help us learn and grow:

1. Worship—Worship is adoration of God. It is praise and positive prayer. There are many ways to achieve private worship. Let me suggest just a few: study the biblical names of God, and praise Him for Who He reveals Himself to be. Sing an old hymn to the Lord. They are packed with doctrine! You can’t sing “Crown Him with Many Crowns” without ending up in adoration. Read the Psalms. Most of them are full of praise—even after laying out a very sad case. But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more (Psalm 71:14). Study God’s attributes and thank Him for them. Worship is all about God and Who He is.
2. Prayer—I recommend prayer before Bible reading, simply because it works for me to talk to the Lord, ask Him to open His Word to my understanding, and tell Him all the things I want to before I focus on the Bible. I believe in total transparency with God in prayer. If we are to cultivate a true relationship with Him, we need to be honest. Tell Him your concerns, gripes, sadness—and your joys, victories, and gladness. Be open. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah (Psalm 62:8). And, after you talk, listen. A lot of times, we women do a lot of talking and not much listening. It’s especially important after praying to see what God has to say to us. Speak; for thy servant heareth (from 1 Samuel 3:10). Then, open your Bible.
3. Bible reading and study. The Bible is the only living book. There just isn’t another that actually ministers to the reader. None other is inspired by God and applied by the Holy Spirit. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). I remember years ago that I had a very negative experience. I couldn’t seem to shake it. It occupied my thoughts, and I was extremely hurt. I prayed, and those thoughts continued to swirl around. I felt bruised. But then, I almost had to laugh because, no matter where I turned in the Bible for the next week or two, verses popped out to me. All were on the same theme: that God would take care of it. They were also specific to the need. They were exactly the guidance I needed. Was this a coincidence? I don’t believe it for a minute! When I have sought His Word in moments of crisis, this has always happened. God’s word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105). He actually speaks to us through His Word!

Do you want to learn and grow?

• Accept all of your missionary experiences along the way as lessons.
• Worship the Lord for Who He is and keep your eyes on Him, not on people.
• Talk to God about everything—the good, bad, and ugly. Listen for His response. (Many times, He will bring to mind a Scripture.)
• Open your Bible and get tutoring from God Himself. Study your Bible. Know it. Keep learning from Him. Apply what you learn to your daily life.

Learn and grow.

Till we all come in the unity of the faith,

and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,

unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro,

and carried about with every wind of doctrine, 
by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, 

whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things,

which is the head, even Christ (Ephesians 4:13-15).

God bless you!

by Lou Ann Keiser, in Basque Spain for more than 34 years

Choice to Praise

The day dawned hot and humid again. I groaned as I entered the bathroom that seemed steamy even before I turned on the water. I squashed a cockroach, mentally reminding myself to ask my husband about fumigating again, since the tropical rainy season was about to start.

I looked forward to my shower each morning as a way to wake up, take some time to pray, and to collect my thoughts for the day ahead.

I took a deep, relaxing breath, opened the shower door and stepped in, then just as quickly retreated in shock, heart racing. The water was frigid!

The coil in the instant hot water heater above the shower head was obviously broken, and would have to be replaced, a twenty minute job…

In that moment I had a choice. 

I could complain about the lack of modern conveniences here in tropical Mexico. Complain that my husband had not remembered to check the coil on time. Complain about cockroaches and humid mornings.

Complain about not being able to get my anticipated refreshing shower until later in the day. I could stomp out of the shower, get dressed and go on grumpily through my morning …

Or, I could praise the Lord.

I could choose to be thankful that we have running water at all. Many of my missionary friends in other countries go weeks at a time without it.

I could choose to be thankful that my husband had been so busy with English classes and Bible studies, building bridges with locals and talking to them about Christ, that he hadn’t had time to change the coil or fumigate the house yet.

I realized that my choice would affect not only my mood, but the mood of the entire family as we started our day.

What about you?

Have you had a morning like this? Something went wrong or ruined your expectation for the day? How did you respond? How did your response to that situation affect your family?

"I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together."  Psalm 34:1-3

"I will" implies a choice. When does this passage say I will praise the Lord? At all times.

When I chose to be thankful for running (though cold) water, and thankful for my husband and the opportunities God was giving us, I was able to share about those blessings with our children, reminding them that God cares for us in every detail of our lives.

Praise is contagious.

The inconvenience of the cold water became a blessing as the Lord helped me turn it into a teachable moment of praise and thanksgiving with my kids.

I challenge you today to view your inconveniences from the place of blessing. How can you turn the temptation to complain into an intention to praise and change the course of your day today?

BIO: 

*This post is an excerpt from In Spite of Myself: How Intentional Praise Can Transform Your Heart and Home by Katie Hornor, used by permission.

Katie Hornor writes at ParadisePraises.com. Purchase her new book In Spite of Myself and be encouraged by the lessons she's learned in choosing to praise, intentionally, as a wife, overseas missionary, homeschool parent and business owner. Click here or follow the #IChoosePraise hashtag on social media for information on the book, and to learn how to join Katie for a free 4-week Bible study on Praise.

Psalm 100 for the Missionary Woman

Photo courtesy of marcolm, Free Digital Photos

 Psalm 100, A Psalm of Praise

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Serve the LORD with gladness:

come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the LORD he is God:

it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,

and into his courts with praise:

be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting;

and his truth endureth to all generations.

I learned this Psalm from memory, years before I knew the Lord. Our family attended a church that didn’t preach the gospel, but we did memorize some parts of the Bible, and I learned respect for God and His Word.

This particular Psalm has a lot to say to the missionary woman today. It's all about praise in service.

Let’s look at Psalm 100 one phrase at a time:

• Make a joyful noise—Not a grumpy noise, complaining noise, or a squawk. It’s a joyful noise.
• Unto the LORD—Our “noises” are to be made to God. They’re to be worship!
• All ye lands—If this isn’t missions, what is? In every land. What a blessing!
• Serve the LORD with gladness—We are actually happy serving. We’re glad to clean the disgusting restroom. We’re glad to wipe a snotty little nose. We’re glad to make a meal for fifteen guests. We’re just glad to serve God!
• Come before his presence with singing.—Again here, we have the idea of consciously worshiping God with our voice. We’re singing to Him. We are actually in His presence. I think it’s so easy to lose sight of this when we’re in church singing hymns of praise. Our minds wander, and our lips go through words on a page--especially when they're in another language. But, look at this sentence; our song is an act of worship.
• Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves.—The psalmist is very conscious that God is the Great Creator, and we are His creation. The psalmist guides us in our worship of this Great God, and he helps us to recognize how small we are. After all, we didn’t and couldn’t make ourselves! (This is counter-evolutionary thought in this verse, by the way. We weren’t cells that just decided over time to become human. God made us! We're special!)
• We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.—The sheep in God’s pasture are those that know the Shepherd, Jesus Christ. What a blessing to be His people, the sheep of His pasture! We have that sweet relationship of being totally dependent on Him.
• Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise.—Here, it’s talking about a city with gates and enclosures.* It’s speaking about God’s abode. Let’s go to God’s house with thanksgiving and praise! Thanksgiving: being mindful of and grateful for all of God’s provisions. Praise: reminding God of His greatness, joyful worship.
• Be thankful unto him, and bless his name.—This is exactly the same as the phrase before it. (When God repeats something in His Word, it means He really wants us to get the message! Thanksgiving and praise—together, in a package—are important to God.)
• For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.—Psalm 100 ends with characteristics of our God: His goodness, mercy, and truth.

Serve the LORD with gladness.

I wonder how many times we serve God with something less than gladness, singing, and praise? (How many times do we think we’re serving people, and we forget we’re serving the Lord, as well?)

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me (Matthew 25:34-40).

Wherever you’re ministering to hungry, thirsty, homeless, naked, sick, and enslaved people, when you minister to them, you’re ministering to the Lord Himself. What an awesome thought!

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.

(Ecclesiastes 9:10a)

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord,

and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall

receive the reward of the inheritance:

for ye serve the Lord Christ (Colossians 3:23-24).

God bless you!

_____________

* Online Bible.