Fears Over a Secret Mission

My secret mission does not include daggers, lies, and spies.  Hopefully, the dark side of secret missions will be forever lost on me.  Instead, my secret mission will bring surprise, joy, and encouragement to my sisters in Christ.

It began more than a month ago when I was talking with a deaconness from our church.  They were planning a ladies' retreat, one which I had planned myself for many years previously.  The new pastor's wife could not be there because their house had not sold.  All of a sudden, with the exhuberant joy that comes flying out of my mouth without thinking, I said, "Maybe I could come."  In that brief, exciting moment without the concerns of the husband left behind, the cost of getting there, the long hours, or adding to my sisters' busy schedules by asking them to pick me up, I almost jumped in with both feet.  I caught myself on the rim of the decision and said, "I really need to talk to Charlie before I decide, so please keep it under wraps until I've had a chance to do that."

And so the idea of a Secret Mission was born.

I talked with Charlie about it.  With the cost of gas and overnights on the way and our negative cash flow, driving up and back was out of the question.  "What about the bus?" I mused.

I checked the bus fares and schedules.  "Do-able," he said.

So I bought the 45-hour bus fare to Maine.

That night I had super-sized regrets and couldn't sleep.  What was I thinking?  Why did I not listen more closely to Charlie's concerns over finances?  Why did he not talk to me more seriously about our negative cash flow?  Where was my respect for him if I let my own excitement squash his careful reasoning?  Much of the night I poured out my concerns to the Lord and confessed my lack of love for my husband.

In the morning, I told him of my regret.  Buyer's remorse, I called it, even though it was more than that.

"Why?" he asked me gently.

"That's a lot of money with our current cash flow situation," I replied regretfully.

"I know," he said.  "But isn't it worth it to go back to our sending church and give them an update?  Isn't is worth it to go and encourage our family of supporters?"

I smiled tentatively and gave thanks to God for this husband of mine.  He knew the "empty nest syndrome" for this pastor's wife was in full swing.  He knew it would do me good to go back and see my "kids" and "grandkids".  Out of love for me, he agreed, and I am so thankful.

So here I sit - on a bus miles from home and somewhere between Georgia and Maine.  (In order to keep the secret, this will not be posted until after I get there.)

No, there are no daggers or lies, but there is the Sword of Truth:  "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." 

This time I'm going a long way to "assemble together" and "exhort" my sisters, but I'm so glad I can do it.

Instilling a Love for Missions in the Heart of Your Child, Part 1

Missions and children.  When a child catches a glimpse of the needs of the world, it is exciting to see.  But for some busy moms, the very idea of trying to find ways to include missions in family life can be overwhelming.  So here are some practical ideas that won't take much more time.

Host a missionary family.  When a visiting missionary comes through your church, get to know them on a personal basis.  Invite them over for a meal, a play date, coffee, or overnight, depending on what your schedule can handle.  Don't worry about private bathrooms or even bedrooms for them.  They are used to sleeping anywhere and will be delighted with the opportunity to be in your home.

Pray for missionaries as a family.  You know those prayer cards that missionaries give out like candy?  Keep them near the kitchen table.  Grab one at supper and include them in your mealtime prayers.  Or let your children keep some in their room and pray for them at bedtime.

Ethnic meal times.  Three times a day and 365 days a year, meals are made.  So every once in a while focus on a country for one night.  Go online and find ideas for decorating and let the children help with decorating.  Set the table (or the coffee table or floor) according to the traditions of the country.  Many missionaries would be delighted to cook an ethnic meal for you in your home and provide eating instructions. 

Learn geography together.  When her children were small, my sister picked up some geography placemats.  While she was preparing dinner and the children were hanging around the kitchen, she played geography games with them.  "Who can be the first to find . . . ?"  And the children raced each other to see who could find it first.

More ideas next time.  If I put all my ideas into one blog, it would be overwhelming.  If just one of these ideas work, you will be on the way to leaving an international mark on the heart of your child.