Everyone is a missionary...

The word “missions” has some crazy connotations for people…I know. 

I was a missionary with an international organization for a few years, and I had trouble using that term to describe myself.  In my mind, a missionary was someone who traveled overseas, wore ugly dresses, and preached to the masses holding a Bible while someone else translated.

God has been gracious to me in helping me understand just a little bit more about mission work over the years.  He has slowly worked with me to guide me to a place where I feel clear as day about one thing:

we are all missionaries, it just depends on what your mission is.

For some people, their mission is being an excellent mom.  Or curing cancer.  Or teaching children well.  Or being an honest businessman.  Or leading people towards health.  Or having an influential marriage.

You are a missionary for whatever it is that you are passionate about.  You don’t have to travel to Africa to be on a mission.  You just have to be willing to tell people about what you love.

But you can travel to Africa, or anywhere else for that matter, if you want :)

Here at EastLake, we are passionate about our mission of helping people find and follow Jesus.  Sometimes that happens through mission groups.  And here’s the thing with that – both the people we serve and the people on the teams are learning how to find and follow Jesus.  It’s a mission for everyone involved.

You are on mission with Jesus if you are serving and loving people.  Any people.  Anywhere.

We want this blog to be a place where you can read stories about the mission groups at EastLake, pray for them, and also find encouragement as you learn what your mission in life is.  We hope it has something to do with God, because we believe it is God who has given you your passion in the first place.

Kristen