|
Mutually Encouraged
I just returned last week from our church's annual mission trip to Jamaica. Inevitably, the question is asked: "Why do we need to go to a foreign country for mission work when there is so much to do right in our own backyard?" I have heard it asked numerous times. My response has almost become reflex: To build up the body of Christ!
In his letter to the Romans, Paul expresses his intention to be with them. Keeping in mind that Paul has never set foot in Rome prior to this correspondence, he expresses his desire:
"For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you-- or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine" (Rom. 1:11-12, NRSV).
Our perception of mission is one of concrete, cinder blocks, and marl. That is not to say that construction is not an important component of mission work, but it is not the component of mission work. The apostle Paul longed to see the Christians in Rome, not because he intended on starting a building project, but because he wanted to share with them a "spiritual gift" for the purpose of strengthening the body of Christ, with the hope that they would be "mutually encouraged" by one another.
Craig Noel Morris is a man we have come to know and love in Jamaica. On our first trip back in 1996, he was just a teenager looking for a way. Today, he is an incessant adult presence in the lives of many youth and children at the Battersea New Testament Church near Mandeville. One of the things we found out about Craig on this past trip is that he has "adopted" a couple of teenage boys. They have been living with him for the last three years. One is sixteen, and the other is seventeen. Both are enrolled in secondary school. In the poorer neighborhoods in Jamaica, this is atypical. On an island where the marriage rate falls around 3 percent, to have a male presence in an adolescent's life is rare, also. Someone asked Craig why he did this. His response: He sees the commitment First Pres. has year after year coming to the same community. He knows it costs money. He knows we take vacation time to be able to come down. He wanted to follow the example of Nelson Crowe, Tom Smith, Michael Hindman, Craig Buffkin, Nathan Brandon, Steve Dresch, Darrell Edmonds, Danny Dotson, Patricia Heim, Scott Kendrick, Alice Wash, and all the others who have given so much of themselves to the people of Jamaica. He, in turn, wants to give also.
On the last day in Mandeville, the members of the community were given an opportunity to share their appreciation, through words and gifts. They took turns, stood and gave praise to God, thanking Him for what we did and for the assurance they have in that our presence means that God is not absent from their lives. Needless to say, it was an emotional time for all.
I spent time talking to our team members on the last night in Montego Bay. The common reaction to our trip is that we gain so much more by being there than the members of the community on whose houses we have worked. It sounds funny, but it is the truth. Paul knew what he was talking about in his letter to the Romans. Every year, we go to Jamaica, not because there is nothing to do in "our own backyards," but because we seek to build up the body of Christ. It's not just about building construction, it's about building faith. As is often the case when we travel to Jamaica, we get more help than we give.
Jack Peebles
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
