Everyone has a place and role in the Great Commission. God wants to use you for beautiful things! Here are some things you can do right now to start reaching the nations whoever you are, wherever you are.
What works against you in grasping Christ's love for you? When I think about this question, my answers create a long list, sadly. My sin, fear of rejection, not being good enough, not being faithful enough, being a burden, seeing and experiencing broken relationships, feelings of shame.
During my time with Cafe 1040 in Europe, our group navigated the city through a "buddy system," ensuring no one ventured out alone. When a teammate sought a companion for a rendezvous with a girl she had met at a local Korean Festival, I volunteered without hesitation, completely unaware of what God would do from this encounter.
Have you ever wanted to sit down with a Cafe 1040 grad over coffee and hear about their experiences? Each of them has been impacted in a significant way by our overseas mentorship program and has many stories to tell.
As I sat across from Zara, my mind was flooded with thoughts. I’m face-to-face, deep in conversation with a young Muslim lady about what it means to follow Christ. My husband and I had moved our lives to the Middle East to have opportunities like this and now, here I was getting the opportunity in a tiny mountain town in the United States.
When I was in Asia, I got hit by two buses. The details are mostly irrelevant, though everyone wants to hear them. A careless bus driver and a poorly timed left-hand turn catapulted my motorbike into the front of an oncoming bus. For a terrifying moment, I ricocheted between two forces strong enough to crush me. Neither of them stopped.
“The sun is always shining, it’s just above the clouds sometimes.” This thought struck home after five days of backpacking through miserable, stormy, overcast weather. The life lessons abounded – no matter how stormy or dark things look, the Son of God is still there, even when we can’t see or feel Him.
At Cafe 1040, we identify five major barriers that keep people from transplanting their lives to international locations for the sake of the gospel. Some people see all five barriers at play in their lives, while others identify with one or two. A guest contributor at Desiring God wrote a fantastic article that identifies one of these barriers and how it can be overcome. She even qualifies it as "the biggest barrier to students going to the mission field."
Remember the really famous 'Hilltop' Coca-Cola ad from the '70s about buying the world a Coke? It was a little before my time, but it's one of the most famous ads of all time. It was also the closing scene of the series Mad Men, if that's more your style. The song in the ad also talks about wanting to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. Definitely from the '70s!
We often get questions from people who are interested in missions and are looking for some next steps. It’s not likely that a person who lives in southwest Missouri just wakes up one morning as a missionary in the villages of Nepal. There are usually a few steps involved. We’ve put together a list of six resources that are a great starting point for anyone interested in learning more about missions.
I’m not sure when it hit. It was sometime between this article or maybe this video when I realized that it’s up to us to change the pulse of our generation. For too long, we have been labeled as the generation that is weak and lazy. We get discouraged easily and quit when we don’t win. We care about everything superficial and nothing important. We’d rather have a participation trophy than first place. The list goes on.
Have you ever tried to explain something to someone and you simply could not connect the dots? When I was first married to my wife, we oftentimes had this problem. We came from different families and had different assumptions. She thought that cleaning the table meant putting the dishes in the sink. I thought it meant washing them or putting them in the dishwasher.
Around halfway through the semester, we hold a discussion with our students on the biblical perspective of suffering based on a sermon by Francis Chan. Personally, that discussion has had new meaning for us depending on what life circumstances are happening during that season. But no matter the season, we come to the same realization: suffering is allowed and ordained by God for the sake of the character of His children.
I’ve moved my life overseas a few times now, and the more I do it, the easier it gets. I’ve observed many other people move overseas as well and often times I’ve thought, “Oh wow, I wish someone would’ve told you not to bring all of that medicine with you! You could have filled that space with almond butter instead and bought the pharmaceuticals here—and for so much cheaper!”
Renee spent over a year bonding with her team and building a love for this country. She worked hard to raise support and get all of her paperwork together. She prayed and prayed and then prayed some more. She sold possessions including her car. She struggled through the emotions of having to say goodbye to family and friends. She mentally prepared herself to live in a different culture vastly different than her own. She was set and ready to leave.
Living overseas in a culture that is not your own is both exhilarating and exhausting, sometimes all at the same time. There are highs and lows, pros and cons, victories and defeats. Have you ever lived in a different culture? Read about the joys and hardships of cross-cultural living from the perspective of one our overseas workers.
