Missions has been my life. Two short years after giving my life to Christ at the age of eight, I answered his call to serve as a missionary. It’s been a wonderful adventure that’s not over yet, and God has allowed me to witness the miracle of lives moving from darkness to light, churches being born, and my spiritual children leading others to faith.
Part of that adventure has been the honor of sharing the stories of God’s work with his church. For those of you from a Southern Baptist persuasion, much of this is done during the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (LMCO) season, as this is a special offering taken specifically for work overseas. The offering is named after Lottie Moon, who was an amazing woman who served among the Chinese in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I answered the call to missions after listening to a missionary share at just such a time.
This last week my youngest son told me that he and his wife had been invited to share at a church in Tennessee for the LMCO.
My heart caught a beat, as I heard those words. How could they be sharing? That’s my job!
But it’s not now, really. As much as I still love the emphasis, I’ve now been back in the States for eleven years. What do I know about what God’s still doing overseas?
That’s when His Spirit said, “It’s OK, Carol. Rejoice as they carry on the work to which I called you and am now calling them.”
I’ve said more than once, that our job in missions is to work ourselves out of a job. Well, I realized that I’d done that once again, as I am now stepping back and letting them step up in sharing the beautiful story of God’s work in their lives and in the world.
And they do have a story to tell! An MK who loves the Lord and a girl on fire for the nations have teamed up to say yes to God’s call as a couple. I look forward to not just their first opportunity to share on the front end of going, but as the years pass and they are able, to hear even more wonderful acts of God they will share with the church.
There are seasons in life and seasons in ministry. I’m blessed to be able to watch new growth in my own backyard of family for His Kingdom and His glory. I pray you will too.
Grace and Peace