I sit here in an empty house as my two roommates Emile Frey and Logan Dugard begin their trek around the globe to an unreached people group in India with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What a mission. They are living out the call of Christ in Acts 1:8 when He tells us to go to the "ends of the earth." I am immensely proud of them both. Their journey has been one of hardship and amazing beauty.
I wish to give you a glimpse into this journey.
Around October of last year the news was brought to them of a possible mission trip being taken by Crossroads church to India. For ten days a group of normal men and women would be going to unreached parts of India to share a message that was essential to their lives. Christ. They both liked the idea and began to ponder over the possibility of them actually going. Well this pondering turned into action as they began to attend the India meetings discussing what the trip was about and how it would look. Except there were a few problems.
Going to another country for upwards of double digit days is quite expensive and college students aren't known for their abundance of money. But this was not to stop them.
They began to write letters. Hundreds of letters asking for help in raising money. Unknowing if people would give or not but just simply trusting that the Lord would somehow produce money where it seemed money could not be produced. People donated that had never met Logan or Emile but believed that what they were doing was to the benefit of the Kingdom. It was a beautiful picture of miracles happening day in and day out.
Secondly, there were medical issues, logistics, and training times that go into trips like this. Much time has to be invested in going to the doctor, in planning what to bring, and in learning about the culture. They invested this time and more. They read, watched, learned, and trained so that they would be as prepared as possible when the time came.
Lastly, there was the simple problem of not becoming overwhelmed. Looking at all the issues of this trip by themselves can overtake anyone with a feeling of inadequacy and the inability to complete them. To see how short they are on money with a payment due in two days, to fill out medical form after medical form until they didn't even realize what they were writing, or to constantly be reading and attending meetings even when they had school work due. These are the things often overlooked in trips like this, but are often the most likely cause of someone not following through and completing the mission. Emile and Logan showed amazing resilience in this area and I admire them for it.
Their ability to leap when they could see no end in sight is an amazing testament to me. To trust in all times, to persevere, to obtain the goal no matter what the cost, this astounds me. And this is what God calls us to.
Stop me if I'm lying here.
God calls us to jump in the pitch black of our lives and to believe that He not only knows what is ahead, but where we will land. Every step is planned, calculated, and sovereignly chosen to bring Christ glory. Do you take the steps willingly like Emile and Logan did and are doing? Do I take those steps willingly? I pray we do.
I am so proud of the men and women leaving their homes, comfort, and families in order to be uncomfortable for the Gospel. That action in itself is showing Christ. When someone is willing to step out of their lives in order for others to know what life is all about is when people become truly changed because they see how real the Gospel and the God of the universe is. And that my friends is a beautiful thing.
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