Missions - Week 9 Summary

Missions! Such an exciting thing to hear about and watch videos of; and in less than two weeks I get to jump into Russia to create my own missional experience. This week, our speaker challenged us to think about why we are in world missions. Before I came to Iceland, I was more focused on the lecture phase, and hardly gave a second thought to outreach. After this week of teaching, I can't think of much else! I now have an answer for why I am in world missions. I want to see people and nations transformed by the healing power of the gospel of Jesus. As we approach the end of the lecture phase, I can look back to where I was in October and see a definite transformation, and that is something that I want to share with everyone in the entire world. I remember how broken I was when I showed up in Iceland, now I am able to say that I have been made whole through Christ. I want everyone who is broken to experience the peace and joy that I have found in the truth of the Bible. Often, when people talk about missions, they throw around terms like vision and calling. It was really helpful for me to have these terms explained. Vision is a part of God's plan revealed to us, and our calling is to take action with respect to what is now our vision. I am not sure what God's calling on my life is, but I am eager to discover it. This leads into the next discussion point for the week. Our speaker asked us, "Does God really have a plan we can follow, or is it up to us to do our best?" I believe that God has a plan for our lives. "For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." [Jeremiah 29:11]. I also believe that we can ignore his plans for us, but that God is capable of brining us back on track when we are ready to accept his calling on our lives. That is where our free will comes into play. We can choose to be open to the Holy Spirit and his guidance with respect to God's plan. On the other side of the coin, we can go the way of the world. It is entirely possible to ignore God's calling on your life. I don't want to be that person, and so I am asking God for a revelation of the part if his plan that I am to play a part in. I want a vision. I want a calling. I am hoping that Russia will play a role in receiving that vision. No idea how it will happen, but I am certainly looking forward to when it does.