“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matt 28:19-20
creative commons license: courtesy flickr by DonkeyHotey
A number of years ago we hosted a Missionary Club with our children. Time has gone by and one of the strengths of our church now is building a heart for missions.
What started as Missions Trips for our youth has grown into church-wide missions work in Honduras for several weeks in the summer as well as missions trips in the US and an annual local missions focus.
I am so blessed that we have saints in our church whose hearts are passionate about reaching out to others with the love of Jesus and are training others to build that heart. Right now, our youth pastor is leading teams in Honduras. None of my children are traveling there but we do have 2 who will be traveling to Oklahoma City next month to reach out to inner city kids.
I’m excited that our church comes alongside parents in helping to disciple and offering opportunities that we couldn’t offer. This summer I am praying for our children, our youth and our church that we will continue to look and serve as the Spirit gives us opportunity.
How can we encourage our children to love and serve others?
Linking to:
The Better Mom, Multitudes On Monday, Sharing In His Beauty, Monday Musings, Domestically Divine, Time Warp Wife, Gratituesday, Encouraging One Another, Women Living Well, Winsome Wednesday, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Builds Her House, Marital Oneness, Big Family Friday, Heart 4 Home, Finding Him Friday, Playdates At The Well, On Your Heart Tuesday, Soli Deo Gloria, Teach Me Tuesdays
I was able to go on a mission trip at the age of 17. I backpacked through the Andes mountains in Venezuela with a group of adults from my church. It rocked my world. At the time I didn’t quite grasp the need to truly take the trip as seriously as possible, but the experience has always stayed with me and I am able to appreciate it more now than I did back then. Being able to go to another country, see the way another people group lives – for a child, a teenager it is paradigm shifting. It takes them out of their self consumed world and makes them realize that this world is bigger than them and there are people out there who need the Gospel. We are so pampered here in North America. We have it so much better than others around the world in the way of “things” but those “things” really get in our way many times of getting our hands dirty with the mandate of taking God’s Word not only to other lands, but even to our own neighbors. I hope the kids in your church have a good time, are blessed by their experience, and most of all are able to bless others with Christ!
What an opportunity! I have many friends whose church missions trips are glorified vacations. They might go for 1-2 days to a “missionary” place to hand out water bottles, but then they go to amusement parks and stuff. Our youth are building homes and walls up mountains! Last year, they built 3 homes for villagers.
And you are so very right! My daughter came back last year completely changed after seeing the desperate poverty yet the joy these folks have.
I agree with the fact that many church missions trips are glorified vacations. When the girls get to wear bikinis on a missions trip – there’s something unbelievably wrong! I am so glad that your daughter was able to have a good experience and that it was a blessing that will stick with her for the rest of her life!
My little guy is only 18 months so right now we’ve just been teaching him about sharing with others. He’s a love bug so he always wants to give hugs and be with people. Again he’s only 18 months but I’m looking forward to teaching him how to love others as we give to those around us. 🙂
Tabitha, starting with teaching him to look beyond his own little life in sharing is a great first step!! Thanks so much for joining me this morning!
(I was scanning your blog earlier looking for your comment box – it’s not easy to find :-)). Our church, too, here in the Philippines has its hands full in bringing the gospel of salvation to the remotest areas of our country. The problems of insurgency, criminality and extreme poverty can only be solved through the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. My beloved husband sometimes goes to crusades in the provinces, but there is really not a member of our family that goes to missions. But the Lord is so gracious to use us in supporting our church’s endeavors like TV and radio crusades – all glory to Him!
Thanks so much for your generous comments that really encourage me and warm my heart!
Sorry about the comment box…I’ll look into that.
Boy you are so right about the problems in the culture around us only being solved through Jesus! Praise the Lord for your church’s outreach to the lost!
Good post.
Great points about missions in the church. My family has been blessed by several wonderful friends who are missionaries, as well as by the short-term mission trips various family members have taken. They’ve been blessed by the trips themselves, while so many of us have also been blessed by being able to come alongside them to help with both donations and many many prayers. And oh, the wonderful ways God has answered so many of those prayers. So encouraging!
What a joy, Kaye, when we partner with those “out” serving – by our prayer, financial and emotional support.
Clicked over from SDG link-up…loads of good things you have going here! Excited to click around some of the blogs listed above.
Amy, I’m so glad that you visited. I look forward to getting to know you in the weeks to come! Come join me on Tuesdays for a link-up on Loving Our Children!
Kate…how neat that your church promotes the mission field. We know missionaries but have never been able to do a mission trip abroad ourselves. Our mission field is closer to home, in our community. Thank you for sharing this at WJIM this week.
Naomi, serving in our own communities is just as important as serving away from home! Going away can seem more “glamorous”, even more “spiritual” to our flesh, but it is the heart of service and sacrifice for others and the sake of the gospel that is important.