My Story of Missions - Part 1

I have been blessed by God on this mission trip to Thailand, from the very beginning to the end. I’ve learned so much I really don’t know where to begin. 

Let me start by saying that this has been the greatest experience for me in my whole life, second to accepting Jesus into my life.  If you knew me when I became Christian, I never – never – considered going on a missions trip.  My heart was tough for missions – more than a rock... as a steel ball - each of these 14 years of being a Christian.

“I don’t want to go to Africa.”

“I don’t want to go into villages.”
“I don’t want to get malaria.”
“I have to work and build up my career first.”
“I don’t want to use my vacation time.”
“I don’t want to bother people.”
“I’m too busy.”
“God can’t use me.”
“I don’t know how to share the gospel.”

But in the past year alone, God tore into my heart and I felt Him say in response:

“Anthony, how dare you say these things? My Son died to save you. He died to save everyone who would believe. Just share what Jesus has done for you. Plant the seeds. I’ll grow the hearts of those who you’ll talk to. Go and I will meet you. I will use you. I will equip you.  I will send armies of angels to watch over you. I will give you the words to say. Trust in Me. I’m the God of this universe. I’ll protect you. I’ll take care of you. I’ll never leave you.”

I didn’t always feel this way.  My first step in my journey on missions was talking to a friend I met last year from Lighthouse named Megumi. I was shocked to hear she was in Japan for missions for 5 years.  FIVE YEARS!  Almost 20% of her life.  No doubt it sparked my curiosity as to why she would do such a thing, and how she did it.  I don’t think I actually asked her those questions, but immediately I knew what the answer was.  It was simple.  It was Jesus.  Jesus loved her, and she loved Jesus.  She wanted to share who Christ was with people in Japan – who were lost and needed Christ to save their lives. Only the love of Jesus could compel someone to make such a sacrifice. So I asked her what she recommended for me to find out more about missions.  She recommended taking a class called Perspecives.  I prayed about it for 5 months and finally decided, why not – lets just take it!  It’s not like I’m committing to a mission trip or anything.

Little did I know that God had something in store for me in that class.  My Christian life took a turn upside down.  I learned that it was God’s plan to save us in the beginning. That since Abraham was sent by God to be a father of the nations, God made a pact with him to make His name known and to bless people. Throughout the Bible, it has been shown that God loves us and wants to save us all. My heart suddenly grew to want what God wants, and that was to see people who needed Jesus to be saved.  No, not everyone will accept Jesus… but there are millions of people who are willing to hear the Gospel at this moment and will accept Christ in their heart. Oh how to be used by God to bring the same salvation that came into my life, changed me from the inside out, gave me a hope like none other, gave me the greatest thing I could ever imagine – to be save and to have an intimate relationship with the Living God. 

I completed the Perspectives class with a new vision of the world.  Not as sphere with masses of land that I don’t want to visit or care about, but as a mission field for people who needed to hear the amazing life-giving and life-saving news of Jesus. 

This was only the beginning... To be continued...