I don’t have Time to go on a Mission Trip!

   “I don’t have time to go on a mission trip!” I exclaimed. “After all, I’m doing mission work here in the states every day.” It was true. I had personally served as a mission pastor twice in my ministry. I knew how to lead people to the Lord; I have a heart for what I’m doing. Why did I need to go to another country?

   The idea of a family mission trip began in my wife’s heart. We were attending the Pastor’s Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans, in 2001. Mac Brunson, the pastor of First Baptist Church, Dallas, had just challenged the audience to make a family mission trip a priority. Marybeth (my wife) began to pray that the Lord would open up the doors to make this possible. We began to look for ways for this to work. There were two obstacles to overcome. 1. I was doing mission work here. I had started a new church here in Chesapeake, Virginia and it was doing well. Why did I need to go overseas? 2. I hated to ask for money. I had an aversion to raising funds for the trip. I certainly was not going to ask any of our church members for money. We are in the midst of a capital fund campaign to raise the money needed for a building and I didn’t want to hinder that.

   Thankfully, God sent Geoff Hammond our way. Geoff and Debbie Hammond served as IMB missionaries for eight years in Brazil before returning to the U.S. When Geoff began working for the SBCV he approached me about a mission trip to Brazil. At first, I was hesitant. As I shared in the paragraph above, I hated to ask for funds, and I was in the midst of my own church start. But, God had heard the prayers of my wife and before we knew it, we were preparing to go to Brazil.

   Immediately we sent letters to friends and relatives asking for their financial and prayer support for the trip. We were elated at the response. We were able to raise the amount needed quickly. In the meantime, we had to apply for passports for all five of us and for the visas necessary to travel to Brazil. Geoff and Debbie were old pros at preparing us for this trip. They carried us step by step through this process and helped prepare us for ministry in a different culture.

   Finally, the day came. Our family began a great journey that God would use to stretch our family in a very positive way. By the way, our family was not the only ones that were going on the trip. First Baptist Norfolk was sending several people, and First Baptist Springdale, AR, also sent two families. We had a total of twenty-five making this trip. Our area of service was in the community of Guadalajara, outside of Recife. Guadalajara is a poor, working class community with a small, struggling Baptist mission. The little church had gone through some problems before we got there and was struggling with 35 in attendance. Our team began doing door-to-door witnessing with the much-needed help of a translator. Each evening we held a worship service with music, testimonies, and preaching.

   The Lord truly blessed our efforts. Before the week was out we saw two hundred people saved and the church running two hundred in worship on the last night. It was truly a life changing experience for the church and for us.

   How was our family changed through this? God used this to remind me that what He desires is a willing witness. In spite of the language barrier, over two hundred were saved. He used this to stretch and challenge our children to share their faith in a different culture. He used this to remind us of how blessed we are to live in the United States and enjoy the comforts and riches of this country. He used this to remind us that we are all called to share our faith.

   Was it worth it? Yes! Would I go again? You bet! Now, I want to take my church members on a trip like this.

I want to encourage you to begin now planning a mission trip for your family and your church. Allow them to experience first hand what it means to be an international missionary.

[Dennis Culbreth is pastor of River Oak Baptist Church, Portsmouth, VA.]