BAD2008 Part 2: The reality of our US condition.

My last post was about poverty in the context of the US economy.  I’m a firm believer that we must impact our local communities because God has entrusted us with a geographic responsibility to those around us.   However, to truly impact our local communities, I also believe that one must see the condition of our world in real life.   If you’ve never been on a missions trip, you need to plan one this year.

I’ve been privileged to travel all over the world including Asia, Central and South America, and a lot of the Caribbean on missions trips.  Without fail, I return home with a broader worldview and a greater appreciation for what I have.  When you see the hillsides of shacks lining the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, or the tent cities of thousands of citizens who lost their homes to the Olympics in Beijing, it makes you realize we don’t have it as bad as we think sometimes.   When I visited El Salvador, I saw sweatshop workers who made $10.00/month for their entire family.  Or, how about the kids in Haiti making dirt cookies because they have no food and their fresh water rivers are lined with garbage.

The truth that hits me the most is even our poor live as kings compared to the rest of the world. It is important that we have balance between local and foreign missions.  If you are just helping your local community, and never reaching the world, you are not fulfilling your full potential.   Our local communities are the training ground to go and help foreign missions in some fashion.  I realize everyone cannot go, but most of us can take a trip a year.  If you are in the medical profession, you can help on a medical missions to Haiti or other third-world countries.  If you are a teacher, you can help stamp out illiteracy which leads to poverty in third-world countries by taking a teaching trip.  If you are a young person who has never traveled outside the US, take a youth missions trip and build homes and churches.  There are countless ways to get involved in missions.  Find one that fits your interests and your skill set and give it all you’ve got.

Our mission as Christians is not solely humanitarian, but it has to be coupled with the Gospel.  Jesus was a humanitarian, but his ultimate mission was to be a Savior to the souls of those he ministered to.  Whether you’re a builder, teacher, doctor, dentist, or student, above all you are a minister of Jesus Christ.  And with that, we can do our part to minister to those who were nearest to Jesus heart, the poor here, and around the world.  God bless you!