Make Me a Blessing

"Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account...But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ-Jesus." Philippians 4:17,19

Good morning, dear friends!

This weekend my family and I are leaving for a missions conference at one of our supporting churches in Germany.  It is an American church associated with the military base nearby there.  My kids have been flying around happily for several days, anticipating missing half a day of school, the long car drive, the extra "road trip" snacks and goodies, and most of all, being with Americans in an American-type atmosphere.

Can you say, happy MKs?

Many of you are accustomed to hosting missionaries in your churches, taking us out to lunch or dinner, hosting us in your homes, watching our video presentations, and listening to us correct our kids in a foreign language.

Have you ever wondered how your missionaries prepare for visiting you in your home churches?

Of course, there is all the packing and gathering supplies (usually too much, because we never really know what kind of situations we are going into, and experience has taught us to be prepared!) We must plan for overnight stays, so sleeping bags and pillows (because we all know how we love our own pillows.)

Then the suitcases...what to pack? Church services mean garment bags and travel irons, and then the inevitable question:  what are people wearing for church at the particular church where we are going?  Do my daughter and I need only dresses and skirts, or do we need split skirts in case we are doing something more sporty?  For Wednesday night services, do my boys need suits, or can they wear khaki pants and polos?  Church shoes or sneakers?  Don't know?  Oh, well, pack them both.

Promotional materials are needed...stuff for our display, DVD presentations, prayer cards, Bibles (in English--where did I put those?), and don't forget the extra materials for special music, Sunday schools, and AWANA games.

Then there is the stack of books, games, snacks, vomit bags (don't forget those), and CDs for the trip.  Don't forget chargers and drinks...and a healthy sense of humor as my husband tries to pack it all in the car.

This is why our missionary family of five looks like it is going on a safari, even when we are just staying for a weekend.

Once we are settled in the car, before we begin our trip, we pray together, as we have been doing all week, for safe travels, and most of all, to be a blessing to the church where we are going.

How do we want to be a blessing to the church we visit?

We don't want to be the kind of folks that give missionaries a bad name.  We don't want to be labelled as "moochinaries," the kind of people that arrive at your church with their hands stuck out to receive a blessing from you.  We want to arrive at your church with our hands stretched out...to serve, to bless, to encourage, to challenge, to share the burden of ministering in a difficult field.

We want to get to know you, so that we know how to pray better for our churches.  We want to have faces that come to mind so at the house, when we mention "______ Baptist Church," it is more than a name to us.  We can picture the building, and some of the members.  We remember funny stories, sweet experiences, that help us to pray more personally for you.  And, Lord willing, just maybe, those same experiences will help you as churches pray more specifically for us as well.

I love the Bible verses at the top of this blog, where the apostle Paul reminds the Philippian church that he is not writing them with any expectation of receiving a blessing from them.  He is writing them to remind them that God is already taking care of his need:  "...not because I desire a gift...,"  but his prayer for them is, "My God shall supply all your need..." The emphasis was no longer on having his own needs met, but praying down a blessing for those to whom he is writing.

I want my family to enjoy this trip, revisit some friends and meet new people this weekend, some of whom I am sure we will be following their lives and sharing in our own.  May the Lord help us to be instruments of blessing to those in whose lives we will be joining, even if just for a short time.

Lord, make me a blessing...