As my upcoming summer in Mexico approaches, the one word constantly hanging over my head day and night remains prominent: preparation. Have you raised all your money? Have you started packing? Are you spiritually ready for these next two months? All questions that completely well-minded friends and family have approached me with.
To be quite honest, the answers to all three of those questions haven't always come quickly to mind (gasp). There isn't any formulated, set-in-stone way to approach a life (or summer) of service on the mission field, but there are several things to remember along the way.
1. A missional mindset starts at home
If you find yourself becoming complacent and caught in your everyday routines in your own hometown, what makes you think you'll suddenly step up your game when on foreign soil? It sounds harsh, but it's the truth. Think to yourself, what am I doing to serve the Lord every day? Is my Christianity focused inward or outward? Am I consistently asking the Lord to use me to make disciples in my city? Realizing the honest answers to these questions will help you formulate a foundation for your starting point, and I'll go ahead and tell you where it all starts: prayer. It's never too late to change your lifestyle! Seek the Lord, and wait for what He has in store (thank you, Jimmy Needham, for your "Clear the Stage" lyrics that left us speechless and hating ourselves).
2. Pray some more
Never, not one single time, have I searched the internet or planned out my "mission trips." Every single time, they start with one simple prayer: "Lord, you want me to go. Show me where." And boom. There it is. That pastor announcing the upcoming church trip, or the email sent from the organization needing a summer intern. Not to say that you shouldn't put forth effort in seeking the Lord in full and playing your part, but trust me, if He wants you somewhere, you'll get there.
3. Understand that being from America isn't everything
With our fancy pants democracies and much higher than world average minimum wage, we tend to think us Americans have it all. Let me tell you, us Americans have a lot to learn. Too often I have gone places with the mindset of "I can't wait to go save these sad underprivileged nations in the name of the Lord." No sirree. The happiest people I've ever met were people who lived in one room houses with dirt floors and had only rice for dinner every night. Money isn't everything. More often than not, I return to the states far more changed by the natives I came across than they were ever changed by me.
4. Jesus works outside of your time frame
One of the first things you'll learn when going anywhere is that plans change. If you ever hear someone say, "This schedule is final," you're being lied to. It's never intentional, but mission weeks with groups are always extremely hectic and unpredictable. One thing to always remember is to never put Jesus in a box. Just because plans changed and evangelism time got shortened to an hour doesn't mean that God can't work in the other 23 hours. Always be ready for God to move, and always be prayerful to receive that discernment.
5. Never underestimate God
This might seem similar to number four, but it's a point that needs to be driven home. I am forever guilty of putting my "Brina limitations" on a big, big God. The Almighty is not limited a tad bit by what we think He can and cannot do, and it's our job to realize that. Our God is a creative, innovative artist, and He crafts things in ways our little minds could never imagine. If you feel Him tugging on your heart to do something, do it. It's not your job to see how the entire puzzle fits together; it's your job to be a willing piece of it. Then maybe, if you're lucky, you'll get to see the finished product.
