Lessons from the Harvest

Yesterday evening marked the end of our church's missionary conference. That being said, all of the missionaries and their families were in attendance last night during the Wednesday night service.

Our church is supports several different missionaries around the globe. We have missionaries to nearly every continent in the world. I am reminded of the bible verse that says the harvest is plenty, but the laborers few. In other words, the world is the harvest just waiting for laborers to spread the message of Jesus Christ. In fact, the theme for the missions conference was "Bear the news to every land."

Like I said, we support several missionaries around the globe. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to meet many of them during our annual conference. This year's conference was no exception. Last night, our missionaries to Ghana and Ireland presented their ministries. The thing that stuck out in mind was that they both considered their mission fields to be home. The man of Ireland has only been ministering there for around a year. If I were to move outside the United States, I don't think I would be able to say the same after a year. I am bias, though. I have no idea what it would be like to live somewhere else besides the United States, the place of my birth and my childhood, my present life. But speaking of these missionaries, there's a change that takes place. I don't how it happens, but it's as though our inner beings are oblivious to territorial boundaries; one's heart fuses with any surrounding or place that provides warmth, intrigue, comfort, and a sense of its need for them there.

Maybe that's why these missionaries become so attached to the countries they minister to: they rejoice in the Lord that they may meet the need of the lost: to hear the Gospel. Even if you aren't a missionary, some other need may summon your devotion. Like a doctor who is called to heal the sick in some developing country, or a teacher who is called to enrich the education of impoverished school kids.

If there is a deep connection rooted in solid principles of purpose, that one acquires in a foreign land, then I can begin to understand how someones "home" can change from their birthplace to this new place. I can't say whether I will ever face this kind of "home address" relocation. Nor could I begin to declare where my patriotism would lie if I assumed a new home: old home or new home???

Perhaps there is a median. It's the sense that you have a new home away from home. You are a patriotic citizen of both. You don't like one home more than the other. There merely places of residency. The thing that's important is "you", because "you" doesn't change according to lines of latitude or longitude. It shouldn't, anyways. "You" has a purpose. And where ever that purpose takes "you", make sure "you" stays true.