On Mission

OUR 2011 MISSION TEAM IN HARRISBURG, PA

Dear Friends in Christ -

"Hard but good." That's the underlying riff I hear from this mission trip - and from every mission trip I've ever been on myself or heard reports from.

There's no easy way to make a deep difference in the lives of others. It's HARD. But I'm betting when the youth come back and greet their families in the church parking lot on Friday afternoon (tomorrow!) and when they offer their reflections on Sunday morning, we'll hear that it was . . . GOOD.

Their experience will, I hope, press the rest of us to think about whether or not we're "On Mission" - in our church, in our community, in our world. Sometimes we all (yes, including ME) come to church seeking comfort and encouragement. When we find challenge instead, we're tempted to walk away and seek comfort somewhere else: at an ice cream parlor, at a bar, at the home of a friend who will lend a sympathetic ear to our complaints without nudging us down a better path.

The disciples following Jesus never had it easy, but they had it GOOD: love flowed through them so powerful they changed the world and, through our missionaries (and through the rest of us, right?!), are changing it still. That's GOOD.

Faithfully on mission with you,
Janet+