Got Fear? Yeah, Me Too!
By Amy Cook, Global Encounters team leader
It was the first morning of my first mission trip. I had arrived late the night before and now the entire team was together for our first powwow. I knew none of my 23 teammates and I suddenly wondered what on earth I'd gotten myself into. I felt alone, overwhelmed, and inadequate. Someone mentioned that it felt like family, and I thought something about how I wasn't ready to use that word yet! What I was ready to acknowledge - three weeks would be a long time if this didn't work out!I'm happy to report that my first trip turned out to be a good experience after all. But I've also learned along the way that fear is universal to all of us. It's one of the most natural feelings we can have. Even so, I'd hate to look back and know that I was prevented from doing something simply because I was afraid. Short-term missions provide ample opportunity to come face to face with some of those very feelings we try to avoid...What if I don't have what it takes? This one might be the biggest! The humiliation of failure can potentially paralyze us from doing anything challenging or unknown. But here’s the deal – “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness…” (2 Pt. 1:3). We don’t have in ourselves what it takes, but we have God, working through us for His good pleasure and granting new mercies every morning (Phil 2:13, Lam. 3:23). You can’t fail with that!
What if I don't have anything to contribute? Guaranteed, you do! It might be a combination of small stuff rather than a “ta-da” position, but you absolutely have something to contribute. Ask God why He brought you. He’ll show you the spot that needs all the “you” that you can give it. Maybe you notice those on the edge of the crowd and are the one who can gradually coax them out of their cocoon of shyness or fear. Maybe you’re like Pete, an electrician who showed up on the Chiapas team when the Terrells were wiring their addition. Maybe you’re like the 2012 med team who came upon a hit-and-run accident and were first responders to a pedestrian vs. transport vehicle situation. Coincidence? No! Be willing to share your glory, your unique giftings, in whatever way God shows you.What if I don't know all the right answers or how to relate? I felt this way when I headed to Romania last summer to work with street kids. Sometimes open arms and a closed mouth are better anyway. Hugs can be the world to a child starving for affection. Deep theological lectures aren’t always needed. Simple words like “I care,” “I won’t forget you,” or “can I pray for you” are meaningful when genuinely spoken. If you need a specific answer, the Counselor is in you and will give you the words to say.
What if short-term missions is a waste of time and money? I’ve heard this one a lot! Isn’t it more economical to just support the people who are already out there? Think, though, that Jesus’ earthly ministry was short-term missions! He traveled from city to city, investing Himself on a personal level. Paul did the same. As missionary Pettengill writes, “Christianity is a global fellowship… Yet we frequently tarnish Christianity by viewing it through our cultural biases. Short-term missions allows those serving and those being served to see they have brothers and sisters throughout the globe… We work in a culture where… [kids] don't know unconditional love… You can send a check, but I'd rather you hug a skinny, dirty, snot-nosed kid.” (“Send Me Your Short-Term Missionaries”) Add the fact that the majority of current long-term missionaries under age 50 got started because of a short-term trip, and short-term missions is literally building the next-generation army.Imagine being the one assigned to fill the giant shoes of Moses. Talk about feeling inadequate! Joshua was charged by God to do just that. Three times in Joshua 1 God commanded him to be strong and courageous. By the end of his life Joshua is the one telling the Israelites to be courageous. He had followed God by faith and found God to be trustworthy. Fear flows out of self-centeredness. As Paul wrote to Timothy, “stir up the gift of God, which is in thee… For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:6-7).Or, in the words of Charles Spurgeon, “Brethren, do something; do something, do something!”
Amy Cook lives in Iowa and serves as the administrative assistant and a team leader for Global Encounters. When she's not exploring new areas of the world, Amy is a secretary for a home school assistance program and also works with intellectually disabled individuals. She enjoys volleyball, music, canoeing, traveling, and spending time with family. You can follow Amy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/