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Our family mission statement: Love God, love others, and make the name of Jesus famous both near and far.

On June 17th Catherine, Aidan, Tori Beth, Caleb and I will have the privilege of traveling to the South Asian country of Nepal for the primary purpose of encouraging brothers and sisters in Christ who live and serve in the region.  I will be teaching these SBs from the Scriptures and reminding them of the gospel that is both their only hope and the only hope of the throng of unreached peoples they live among. Many of you are familiar with the resource called “The Story” that I have worked in partnership with Spread Truth Ministries to develop. If not you can see it at www.yourpartinthestory.com. The Story will form the basis for my 6 messages as follows:

1.     Preaching the Gospel to Yourself and Others Daily.

2.    Creation:  You Were Made to Worship & Obey.

3.    Fall:  From Awestruck Worship to Brazen Idolatry.

4.    Rescue:  Promise Made for Messiah.

5.    Rescue:  Promise Kept in Jesus.

6.    Restoration:  Heaven is Not a Place, but a Person.

Some may be asking, “Why would you take your entire family along on a short-term trip?”  There are likely assumptions behind that question.  Perhaps some are thinking that traveling to such an “exotic” place with children is unwise and even risky and dangerous.  Others may think that the expense of taking children along isn’t justified.  Then there may even be a few people who, according to the “spirit of the age”, find missions as a whole to be arrogant and unnecessary.

I will share just a few thoughts related to those who may be asking such questions, followed by thoughts and prayer requests from each member or our family.

In response to those who disapprove of the “risk” that may be involved, especially related to children traveling abroad,  I would respond by noting that we teach our children much through the decisions we make for them.  I find it ironic that as Christians, we often raise our children with safety at the forefront of every decision. We childproof our houses with safety devices, bathe our kids in hand sanitizer and listen to radio that’s “safe for the whole family”.  Now I’m NOT advocating reckless parenting at all here, but I do believe that marketing firms have succeeded in making us fearful of just about everything under the sun. In order to get us to buy their product, they’ve inadvertently sold us a philosophy of life that sometimes stands in opposition to the biblical guidelines for Christian living.  Some have quipped, “The safest place to be is the center of God’s will.” That may make a good bumper sticker, but what does it say about the multitude of men and women we read about in the bible and in church history who followed God’s will into places that cost them their lives?  What about Jesus – was He not in God’s will when He died on the Cross?  We want our children to understand that following God may be “risky” in the world’s eyes, but it is always worth it – even if it brings trouble that we might have otherwise avoided in our little suburb in NC.

The second question is regarding the financial burden of family mission trips. There is an unspoken and flawed assumption that underlies this question.  That is, that there are a limited amount of funds with which to advance the Kingdom. The reality is that God’s plans never lack God’s resources.  Sure, many ministries are facing budget cuts and we should certainly be discerning with how we spend what has been entrusted to us. But our investment in our children for  trip like this is cultivating within them a biblical Worldview that can’t be learned from our living room. We have long used resources like Operation World to train our children in praying for missionaries and for the nations. So this trip, like our one to Thailand two years ago, brings to life the issues and concerns that we have been interceding about. Our kids still speak of our time in Thailand with wonder and gratitude.  Most parents spend a boat load of money to keep their kids involved sports, wearing the latest fashions, and up on the latest technology. There is nothing inherently wrong with sports, clothes, or gadgets, but if you want to make an investment in your kids that they won’t outgrow, get them involved in Kingdom work.  The bottom line is that my church, the SBC and the missionaries we support financially will not suffer from our decision to take our kids on mission.  In fact, should the LORD tarry I’m confident that this is an investment that will yield three families laboring and giving to what really matters when our kids grow up.

The final question is one that I hope none of my readers is asking. The bible is clear that ”there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) and “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17).  So as we go out we do so in obedience to Christ’s commission to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-20).

As I mentioned from the outset our primary purpose for this journey is to encourage a small army of faithful saints who are living out and proclaiming the message of Christ in places where they are surrounded by multitudes (as in BILLIONS) of people that may never hear otherwise. I can think of few ways that I’d rather spend my time and lead my family than by encouraging those dear brothers and sisters and their children to persevere and not grow weary in doing good.  This journey fits perfectly with our family mission.  We go first and foremost because of our love for God, followed necessarily by an overflow of love for others.  And it is our prayer that Jesus’ name is made famous both here at “home” and in distant lands of South Asia.

So would you pray for us as we engage in this labor of love?  Would you commit to interceding for us daily that we may seize Divine opportunities and live with missional intentionality?

Family prayer requests:

Catherine: I want to be an encouragement to our dear friends who serve in South Asia – in particular to the wives who are laboring to love their husbands, lead their children, and engage the lost through hospitality and community involvement.

Aidan (12):  I’m excited that I get go encourage and play with my friends Johnny and Braxton who now live in Asia. I’m also excited about meeting a bunch more MKs (missionary kids). Please pray that I would make good decisions and honor Jesus through the whole trip. My dad tells me we get to go whitewater through the Himalayas at the end of our trip so pray for us to be safe.

Tori Beth (11):  I have always wanted to go near Mt. Everest since it’s the tallest in the world. I’m super excited to meet the people who live there. Please pray that I can share the gospel with some children there as well as encourage my MK friends Lilly, Emily, and Katie.

Caleb (9):  I’m excited to see Everest too. We talked about it at school and I think it’s cool that I get to go see it. I’m glad that I can be like my daddy and preach the gospel to people who may have never heard it before. Pray that I would glorify God in all I do there.

George:  please pray that I would teach the word faithfully, lead my family well, and encourage the field workers to be bold in their proclamation of the gospel. Pray also that I lead my family to engage the lost all along the way.

Trip Dates:  June 17- 30th.