I love missionaries. I love their hearts and I love how total strangers meet on Sunday and leave as family on Friday.
And I love how missionaries break down denominational walls. I see it on every trip. I’m not sure of what all denominations our team represents, but I know that there are several different denominations coming alongside a Southern Baptist church plant to bring Jesus to the community.
As our trip is winding down, I asked our team what their favorite part of this week has been. The majority answered, “the team”. Other answers were the evening devotions, the people of NOLA, and meeting people at the coffee shops where we have been ministering. All of our answers were people and God related, not experience or ‘stuff’ related. That’s the heart of a missionary.
Yes, experiencing new places and cultures and having adventures with God are fun. But when the rubber meets the road, it’s a passion for God and the people He loves that stirs a missionary’s heart.
On our final ministry day, this awesome team skipped packing their own lunch and instead made sandwiches to give to those in need. And then we walked for probably at least 2 miles up and down the streets and along the levees of the Mississippi River where we were told the homeless congregate, in the nearly unbearable heat and humidity of NOLA in July, looking for those on the street that might need a meal. Thats the heart of a missionary. And come to think of it, that’s the heart of God.
