Thoughtful Tuesday-Becoming a Missions Minded Family

I think that in our efforts to bring people to God, we sorta dumb Him down. We make Him a pleasant, jolly type of god and make people think that following Him is all rainbows and puppies and sunshine. Not totally true. Of course God is loving, kind, gentle, etc. Of course He has our best interests at heart. However, to truly live the way God wants us to live. To be totally sold out for Him. To be of the same heart as Him. To have the same mindset as Him is so not a rainbows, puppies, and sunshine life.
Don't get me wrong. I LOVE the life I have in Christ. I am blessed beyond measure. My family is blessed. My life is wonderful. But, it's not always like that. We have lost 'friends' because of our faith. We have been verbally attacked because of our faith. We have been tested and tried. Sure some of our tests and trials could be considered 'self-imposed' because they come as a direct result of our choice to follow Christ and life our lives for him. However, I would never give that relationship with Christ up just to make things easier. For us it is not an option.

With all that being said, the sacrifices that we have made as a family are nothing compared to sacrifices that Christians all over the world are making.  Some are leaving families behind to travel to dangerous countries to serve GOD in the way HE has called them to serve. I have a missions heart. A desire to go where GOD wants me to go and to do what GOD wants me to do. Right now, GOD has called me to pursue my nursing degree. Not sure what HE has planned for me after that, but for now I'm pressin' on and pressin' in and doing what HE has instructed me to do at this time. Hopefully, eventually HIS call will be more missions oriented, but even if that doesn't happen, it's ok. I know that HIS plans for me are wonderful.

Jeremiah 29:11

 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Our family has talked about supporting a missionary family for a while. Well, Dave and I have talked about it. We want our boys to be more aware of what is going on to further GOD'S Kingdom. To understand the sacrifices involved. To develop a heart for missions. It has been hard to pick a missionary family. We wanted one with boys the same ages as our boys, or as close as possible. Sounds easy, but it's not. We wanted one that really spoke to us. A missionary family whose mission field resonated with our hearts. It's been a long hard search, but we finally found the family for us.

Every Sunday is Missions Sunday at our church. We have different missionaries come and speak about their mission fields. It is always amazing. However, this Sunday was different. Our church had the privilege of hosting Randy and Dezra Freeman and their lovely children, Hudson (who is roughly the same age as our Medium Boy), Olivia, Griffin (who has the same name as our Small Boy. It's not terribly common), and Ella. Randy and Dezra have been called to  the nation of Swaziland. Swaziland has the distinction of having the highest HIV/Aids rate per capita in the world. It is projected that it will be the first modern nation to become extinct. As I watched the short video presentation Randy showed before he spoke, GOD began speaking to me. He was telling me that this was 'our family'. The family we had been searching for. The family I had been praying for.  So, I nudged my husband and told him, "This is our missionary family." He agreed.

I am so excited to be able to support this missionary family. They have a website set up with photos and information about their family and their mission, a blog, and a schedule of their speaking events and such. I have been doing a bit of research on Swaziland, but there is a ton more research to do. We are setting up a change jar for pledges in our house so we can put in our pocket change and get that sent to their account. I personally can't wait until they actually get to Swaziland so we can find out what their physical needs are going to be and what we can do to help meet those. 

The Freeman Family

I am looking forward to what GOD has in store for us as our family moves forward in developing a more missions focused mindset. I am looking forward to hearing how GOD moves in Swaziland and through the Freeman family. I am looking forward to seeing how this changes the boys and their outlook on life. I am looking forward to seeing how our perception of things change, how our priorities change, and how our lives change.