Another Parasite?

On the past two trips to Guatemala, I've brought home a souvenir. A little surprise guest. And not one that I like or enjoy. It's a parasite, and I didn't invite him on the trip home. But he came anyway.

He's a vicious little creature that can rear his head quickly at the end of a trip or even hibernate and appear a few days/weeks later. He can come in the form of chills, fever, headaches, diarrhea, vomiting, or a variety of other symptoms (once JT had one that mimicked a heart attack..that was a little concerning). I do not like him one little bit.

But getting a parasite is sometimes part of being in another country to share the Gospel. And I will take it. I will NOT be deterred from the mission at hand.

On this past trip, there was a night of discussion in the book of James. We talked about being people who don't just hear the Word but DO it. And all I could do was cry...ugly cry. Over 29,000 kids die every day, most of them from preventable diseases. How can we, as the church, sit by and do nothing? How can we call ourselves believers and do nothing? We can't.

So, how can I complain about a little parasite that causes pain, inconvenience and annoyance? I can't. It's nothing compared to what most of the world is dealing with each day. It is just a reminder of why we go to the nations. We go out of obedience to the call of the Father. Not for anything we will get (whether positive or negative)or anything we will give. We go because He calls us to go.

And we will continue to go. No matter the costs.