Til the whole world hears...

I am sitting at a retreat center in the middle of nowhere. I am here with my daddy who is a trustee for ACM International (a missions organization). And this week is their big trustee/missionary meeting. I came along since my husband is off to camp for the week with our junior highers, I love missions and I wanted to spend time with my daddy. Right now they are in the meetings that my little ears don't need to hear about and so I am spending my time listening to worship music, researching masters level missions programs and making a mile-long list of missions books that I want to read one day. 

I have often talked about my love for missions. It's growing strong and overwhelming again. It has been for the last few months in fact. And sometimes it's hard and sometimes it's not. It's easier to get through when I talk with my friends, family and team in Ecuador/Peru or with my best friend Sarah who went through the missions program at Lincoln with me and is just as passionate about it as I am. Sometimes it's harder when I watch Facebook and see people preparing to go on trips or head back to school to study more about it. But I know that GOD has me where He wants me right now. I know that where Spence and I are is where we are supposed to be. That working with children and students as a team is what we are supposed to be doing. That searching for a job to pay off loans and supporting my husband in his Masters program is what I am supposed to do. I know that Spence and I are where we should be at this point in our lives. But I can't help but wonder about our "one day." 

We have talked about so many things that we want to do in our "one day." We have talked about him teaching at a Bible college or going over to Austria to teach at a school there through a missions organization. We have talked about us going to Idaho where he did his internship and absolutely fell in love with the people and the area. We have talked about traveling and doing various short-term trips. We have talked about our desire to adopt. We have talked about being dorm parents at LCU. We have talked about working in small churches, in big churches, in small towns and big cities. We have talked about so many different things that we are passionate about and want to do in our "one day." 

But no matter how much we talk about the things we want to do (and sometimes we say we will do....), we know that our lives, our marriage, our ministry are not our own. We know that Spencer and Kiersten do not dictate what happens in life. We know that we are not the ones in control of what we are supposed to do, where we are supposed to go and when it's all supposed to happen. We know that wherever GOD sends us that's where we are supposed to be. And our new church and town are where we are supposed to be as we start our lives together as a married couple. We know that GOD is the one who will dictate our lives. And we have talked about how I may have a missions heart and Spence has a passion for teaching youth and young adults, but we know that we have no idea where we will end up. We know that if GOD tells us to go to Tanzania or India or China or Ecuador or Mexico then we will go. We know that if GOD tells us to go to some small town in Illinois or inner-city Dallas then we will go. We know that we can't argue with GOD. Yes, we have our dreams. We have our specific passions. But we are passionate about ministry in general and therefore will go wherever HE sends us. And that's one of the greatest things about my husband and our marriage. It's going to be an adventure for us for sure. But it'll be an adventure we get to do together while we serve the KINGDOM and grow in our own faith, marriage and lives. 

With everything I have done today (I was the entertainment for the 6 missionary kids that are here), with the conversations I have had today, with the prayers and the thoughts I have sent up to the GOD I love and serve... I haven't been able to help but think about the incredible need that people have... the need to hear and know the name of Jesus. Of YAHWEH. I have thought about how there are people in downtown St. Louis (which happens to be a 20 minute drive or a 30 minute Metro ride from where Spencer and I live) who have no idea who Jesus is or what the point is in believing in HIM. I have thought about how there are people in our town, possibly right across the street from us, that have no idea what being a disciple of Jesus is all about. And those people are just as lost at this point as those who are living in the slums of Calcutta or in the inner-city of London or the mountain villages of Cajamarca. 

So with all of that said... I am turning my missions devoted and loving heart to the people that GOD desires to reach out to that are in my immediate area. I am turning my missions devoted and loving heart to the students in our youth group who are trying to figure out how to share their faith in their large high schools. I am turning my missions devoted and loving heart to trying to be more open and aware of the opportunities GOD has and may give me to reach out. And the best part is that I know that I get to do that with my wonderful, loving, faithful husband. I am excited. For being the girl who never wanted to go into ministry or marry someone in the ministry... I am excited. And can't wait to see what happens. 

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For anyone who may want to have a better idea of just how many people in the world are waiting to hear the name of Jesus here are some numbers from the JoshuaProject. They are a website that tracks how Christianity is spreading and who has yet to hear. There is information about every country in the world, the languages spoken, the people groups, the population and the influence of other religions. It's pretty awesome and a great tool for praying for the nations and for the Great Commission to be completed. You can check them out at: 

www.joshuaproject.net 

GLOBAL PEOPLES SUMMARY: Total people groups: 16,639 Unreached people groups: 7,043 % of people groups unreached: 42.3% World population: 6.94 billion Population in unreached groups: 2.87 billion % of population in unreached groups: 41.4%