I’ve Never Been on A Mission Trip

I’ve never been on a mission trip. 

I remember, in my early 20s, after I rededicated my life to Christ and was on fire and excited to participate in all the things, I could envision all of the mission trips I would take part in. The places I would travel. The people I would meet. The songs we would sing. The meals we would share. The way I would share the love of Christ with everyone I encountered. 

They would be changed.

I would come back changed. 

It felt like a part of my Christian initiation. If I loved Jesus, I must get on a plane and go. A week here. A week there. 

But the weeks stretched into months and the months into years and the next thing I knew I was married and our littles were coming into the world. One after the other. 

And my nights were spent awake at night nursing infants while their tiny hands wrapped tightly around my finger. My days were spent picking Cheerios up off the floor and changing diapers and driving to preschool and making dinners and visiting with neighbors. And the need to go on a mission trip faded into the background. 

My life became my ministry. 

Instead of needing to go, I began to see the beauty and the power in staying. In being present and investing in what was right before my eyes. 

My husband. 
My children. 
My neighbors.
My extended family. 
My church family. 
My friends. 

My ministry became the ministry of sippy cups and story time. 
It became the ministry of meals dropped off on friend’s porches and watching babies so new moms could rest. 
It became the ministry of small group gathered in our living room. 
It became the ministry of family dinners and bedtime prayers. 
It became the ministry of inviting middle schoolers and high schoolers to gather around our table for study and talk and laughter and tears and so many Oreos. 
It became the ministry of homemade cookies after a long day of school. 
It became the ministry of having friends for dinner and drinking wine and sharing meals and talking about all the things late into the night. 

It became the ministry of simply being. 
It became the ministry of presence. 

I’ve never been on a mission trip. 

And if I were to whisper those words into the ears of my 20-something-year-old-self, she would probably turn to me with eyes and mouth wide open wondering what in the world I have been doing with myself for all of these years. Was I not answering God’s call to go? 

And I would take her into my arms and hold her tight and say, “You don’t have to go to share God’s love. You don’t have to go to be loved. He loves you where you are. And as much as there is power in going, there is power in staying. In creating deep relationships. In abiding with Him. And abiding with your family. And abiding with your friends and your neighbors and your loved ones. Yes, sometimes, we are called to go. And sometimes we are called to stay. So stay you did. And what a beautiful journey it has been.”

This post originally appeared on my Truly Yours, Jen – Jennifer Thompson, Writer Facebook Page