“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:19-22 ESV
On the last blog, I wrote about my Guatemala family and how they are a part of my family of God. Remember, we don’t have to have the same skin color or even speak the same native language to be family. I have aunts and uncles that I only see 2-3 times a year but I still love them dearly. One of the benefits to a short term mission trip is connecting and growing with other like minded believers from other parts of the country or even world.
We all have that crazy uncle we try to avoid at family gatherings because he’s nerve-wracking. Well, that how felt the first two days 15 years ago on my first trip to Guatemala with my now Michigan family. They made fun of how slow I talked, enunciated words and even how I pronounced enunciation. They tried to convince me a toboggan is a sled and that the thing at Krogers is a cart and not a buggy. I obviously couldn’t build as fast s them or understand them. I was supposed to be the one getting on peoples nerves; that’s usually the case. It was a rough two days.
And then, in the blink of eye, my life changed for the better. I started seeing they aren’t really “Yankees” and they actually think a lot like I do; they just speak more proper English. Our theology Is very close. We love sports. We all hate Ohio State and most importantly, we all love Jesus. Now, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea; I haven’t just met Michigan friends, because I have met people from Grand Bay, South Carolina, Wetumpka (with an extremely long beard and short attention span.) I have met friends from all over this country on Guatemala trips, and I’m the better for it. They bring me Michigan apples in the fall, cookies, let me stay in their homes, love on me on trips and even pray for me. They invite me on fishing trips (thanks Tim), invite me to a game at The Big House, wish me happy birthday, invite me to The Pig Roast, me share memories of a lifetime. Heck, I’m even watching hockey at this moment because my friend James is interning for the Florida Panthers right now. I had never watched hockey in my life but now I have to cheer for James.
Why is this important? Why do we need to grow our family of God? I’ll tell you why; because as King Soloman said, “Two are better than one.” There are over 50 “one another” commands in Bible that relate to walking with each other. We are to “carry burdens”, “welcome”, “love”, “honor”, “live in harmony”, “be at peace”, “forgive”, “comfort”, “pray”, “encourage”, one another. That is just a few examples also.
Christ commanded us to make disciples. If we live this out, then the work is easier and the lord is lighter of we share in it. The journey is also more enjoyable. When people that go to Grace Mountain from all over the U.S. they grow together as a family. When we pool our talents, treasures and time together we can make more disciples. We can embark upon a tall task like building a school, medical clinic and now a church together. Separate, we couldn’t do these things but together we can. So, even if my Michigan friends last names sounds like they are in the Dutch Mafia, I love them. I love all my Louisiana friends, South Carolina, Moody, Montgomery and so on. In fact, I can’t gone my life without them now.
This is just one more reason I love short term mission trips to Guatemala!
Joe David Bailey
Shining Light Abroad Ministries 