When I first got to Guatemala, I asked the question: Why am I here?
- I am doing very little different than I would be at home. I am teaching in a school, investing in the church in any way I can, and building relationships with others around me. I even eat better than I do in the United States. There are a few differences (walking everywhere, being surrounded by a different language, enjoying a slow pace of life), but in general my life here isn't much different than it would be in the United States
I wondered why God would call me to a different county if I could do very similar work in my home country where I knew the language. :) Don't get me wrong, I was excited to be in Guatemala, I just wondered why I was here.
Then I listened to the verse, the Pastor shared (fortunately, I knew it well in English!):
1 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV)
"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow."
This is where the quote at the top comes in. "You are not bringing God to [Guatemala]. He is already there." I did not bring God to Guatemala. He is here. He is working. He is causing disciples to grow. He has called me to plant and water seeds by partnering with the local church to teach English in the school, but HE is doing all the work.
We are all called to be missionaries. My question was why God called me to Guatemala to serve His name when I could be touching lives in the United States in virtually the same way. I believe that God called me to Guatemala to learn how to be a missionary wherever I am. God is there, wherever "there" is. I simply need to plant and water seeds and He asks me to.
You can too. If you are a follower of Christ, you are a missionary. Sure you don't have the title "missionary," but you are doing many of the same things that other missionaries do, simply locally.
As one man put it when asked what he does for a living, "I serve the Lord....Oh, you mean to pay the bills? Oh, to pay the bills I am a lawyer."
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