Go Tell

In mid-May, a team from FBC Beaumont was sent out to go and care for families that serve the Lord through sports in some of the darkest places around the world. Our team lovingly led and invested in the children and youth from the families while the parents were poured into during the conference sessions. Nickie Miller was one of the team members and today we are sharing her main takeaways and convictions from the Lord as she reflects on this trip.

This was my second trip to serve families at this conference. Two years ago, I spent the majority of my time getting to know the teens and watching them have an instant connection with each other because of their shared experiences. I was amazed by their spiritual maturity. I learned about their lives in the host country and even learned a new game or two!

This year I was again looking forward to serving the teens and seeing some familiar faces. I spent my week connecting with students and catching up with the teens I met a couple years prior, seeing how much they have grown (literally) and meeting new faces that instantly stole my heart! There was a slight difference to the trip this time around. This year I spent a considerable amount of time getting to know some of the adults who were attending the meeting. It was those conversations that added to my perspective and made this trip distinct.

This year, it was the conversations during meals and after our time with the children that really made the week. There are specific faces that pop into my mind when I think how the Lord calls us into hard places to serve with flexibility, full surrender in the unknown and joy. I think of the sweet newlyweds who shared with me how different it is living in another country where basic supplies are not always available, or the single women serving in difficult places but with so much joy! I think of the moms that I met and talked with that are not able to run to coffee with a friend when she needs a break or schedule a much needed playdate for her child.

These men, women and families are not super-Jesus followers! They have the normal struggles like you and I. The excuses we use to say "No" to what God is calling us to because it may not fit our timing, they just adjust and persevere anyway fully relying on Jesus. They deal with serious illnesses like cancer, children with special needs and disabilities, marriage struggles and infertility just like everyone else. The difference is they often do it in another time zone, without much support while being very intentional in their relationships and still sharing Jesus. They do not shrink back from the hard. They don't use it as an excuse not to serve, they just lean in and serve where they are, with what they have been given. They hold things loosely and pivot for the unexpected obstacles.

There is a cost to this type of service, these families often miss big family events and milestones back home like graduations, weddings and even funerals. However, in the many conversations I had, it was not the hard but the good they shared. I saw the smiles on their faces and the sincere love for the culture and people God had placed them among to serve.

I look at the world map differently now than I ever have before. I no longer see random countries from my high school World Geography class. I see faces and remember the names of individuals and families who live and serve there. Because of my time spent alongside these families at the conference, my prayer time includes more than the 409, and has expanded way past state boundaries. God has called us to make disciples in ALL nations (Matthew 28:19-20) and for some, He has asked us to move there to do it.

This trip again showed me that God uses our everyday experiences, the good AND the hard, to encourage others. You don't need a fancy credential to serve others well. You can be a mom who is just a little further down the road of motherhood to encourage the mom on the other side of the world. To encourage her to keep pouring into that strong-willed child or hang on because the time with the clingy infant is so short but so important. God can use any season, pain or experience to help you minister, yes...minister to another. We just have to be willing and obedient to go, to share, right where we are.