First attempt at blogging

First attempt at blogging

This is my first attempt to write a blog. I discovered today that the word has quite a history dating back to 1860 when it was used as a perversion of the word “Bloke”. The first Blogger online publishing service was launched in 1999.

It’s funny how words just sometimes seem to appear in our daily conversations. Almost out of nowhere a new term is suddenly well known or at least well used. I’m not sure all of us really have a firm grasp on all the new words we now squeeze into our conversations.

One term that has been interesting to me of late is the term “missional.” I hear it being used in many different conversations and have used it myself. I say, “I’m missional” whatever truth is supposed to convey. Sometimes we say a church is missional and I think we are saying in effect they are serious about spreading the gospel into places where it has not yet been although 90% of the mission work is done in areas where churches already exist.

I looked missional up on my online dictionary but it referred me back to the word Mission. I scrolled down to definition # 10 before I found something that seemed to identify the way I use the term. It said, “…also called foreign mission, a group of persons sent by a church to carry on religious work, especially evangelization in foreign lands and often to establish schools, hospitals, et.

The next nine definitions expanded on that including the missionary church, duty or work, a shelter that offers food and lodging, special religious services for increasing religious devotion and converting unbelievers. The origin of the term goes back to Smittere, which is of unknown origin but from which the Latin term Missionen is derived and is first used in 1598 of Jesuits sending members abroad.

So why am I concerned with all this? Well I guess because the way we use words is important. And since words have a way of morphing into new meanings over time I wanted to know if my use of the term missional actually had a meaning.

A little of my Story:
Shortly after I went from being a churchgoer to a sold out Jesus Christian, I was privileged to be part of a team that was going to spend a week in Mexico hosting a Bible study and a Vacation Bible School. My part was to cook for the youth group that would be doing the outreach. The church gave me a letter to take to the local Health Dept., which happened to be a couple of blocks down the street from the church. The letter stated that I was going as a missionary to Mexico and told what shots I needed.

The day is etched in my memory a one of those defining moments in life. It felt like I was carrying the Holy Grail and that I was being sent on a world-changing endeavor. (I was 30yrs. old at the time and had never been out of the country with the exception of a trip to Tijuana when I was around ten. My memories of that trip are the fringed, leather jackets my parents bought and the Mexican blouse and skirt I got. I also, got a clay piggy bank while in line at the border crossing. ) I clutched the letter to my chest as I walked along Carson Blvd. I really think I might have been able to fly if I had given it any effort.

Well I went to Mexico and I slept on a very narrow bench that I confiscated from the Sanctuary so that I would not have to sleep on the ground where the three-inch cockroaches ruled. I held on to the door of the small oven all night only to later discover it held a nice little fortress of cockroaches as well. I slept through the night accompanied by the soothing sounds of the men all snoring in unison in the next room.

Heaven! To me it was the most wonderful week I had had to date. I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to lead anyone to Christ but I cooked and cleaned and prayed and laughed and swatted flies and encouraged throughout the week. I was permanently hooked on this wonderful experience of mission work.

I attended a Jesus West Coast event a while later where I was privileged to hear John Dawson, Loren Cunningham and many others share about God’s heart for the lost. At the lunch break I had a “meeting” with God and told Him that I wanted to be involved in Missions and that I wanted to be a part of the whole church not just my denomination.

I think in the years that followed I drove everyone slightly crazy with my constant concern for mission work. I read mission stories, listened to missionary talks, and hung a world map on my bedroom wall so I could be reminded to pray for f the gospel to spread to other nations of the world. Since that time I have never been without a World map hanging somewhere in my home.

A few years after this trip my husband and I started attending a small Foursquare church of about 60 people. It was a new experience coming from a much larger congregation but I loved the worship music and the enthusiasm of the people. While the pastor focused on how to grow the congregation I focused on having a mission program. He finally asked me to be in charge of missions. I am sure just to try and keep me quiet since we were such a small church and no one seemed all that interested in going anywhere, but I was undeterred.

I heard about a group that was giving a presentation on their work of sending Bible Couriers into China. I convinced one of my friends we needed to go check it out and so we did. Before the evening was over the idea of taking Bibles into China for those who didn’t have one had grabbed my heart. As we prayed about what we had heard we became more convinced we should become Bible Couriers. The fact that I had recently read Brother Andrews book, “God’s Smuggler” also played a part in my desire to go.

While out one morning on a walk we found a $5 bill lying on the street. We were sure this was to be a sign we should go and it became the beginning of a bank account we set up in an Asian American Bank. Neither of us had the resources to cover the cost of the trip but over the next few months we saved all we could and I went out each week to gather newspapers that had been left out on the curb for the trash truck to take to recycling. We also recycled aluminum cans that people were saving for us. Several people gave donations. My friend’s son-in-law gave her a check and told her that God had told him to give it to her and it didn’t make any sense to him but she was to put it in her Asian bank! It made total sense to us and was a great encouragement from the Lord. From Oct. to April all the money we needed for a one-way ticket came in. We would trust God to bring in the rest and get us back home.

I remember stepping out of the taxi in Hong Kong into humidity I had never experienced before and thinking, “what have I done!” But the shock passed quickly and we made our way to Beijing carrying our precious cargo. The Bibles were safely delivered and transported into Mongolia. And we along with four other team members all made it home but I can’t remember how all that worked out.

Over the years since then God has allowed me many wonderful opportunities to ‘go” with the gospel of His Son. My husband Jerry, now deceased, and I spent a couple of years in Youth With a Mission, where we did outreaches in Eastern Europe. This past Easter I was back into Mexico again on an outreach with a local church.

So what do I mean when I say I am “Missional?” At least three things come to mind.

1. I hope to convey the thought that I believe the gospel is about more than me and mine. It is for all the people of the earth and I want to play apart in making sure that happens.

2. I am committed to seeing the gospel spread by going, praying, giving, training and supporting others.

3.This next one I am working on. I am committed to altering my lifestyle so that I have more resources to contribute so that others are released to go.

I am growing in my understanding that it is not about me, I may not be the one who is sent. I may never see the faces of those who hear of God’s love for the first time. I may never have the privilege of holding a child whose life has been ripped apart by war or standing with a young girl who has been forced into prostitution because the love of God has not yet penetrated the hearts of those in her community. But I can pray and I can rejoice with all God is doing and I can be “Missional.”

When I became a part of the Communities INC team I had very little understanding of the many needs of our Valley. I had never visited in the rural areas and did not know how difficult life was for so many people. I only knew that I wanted to be intentional about spreading the gospel and I was sensing that God was calling me to be more involved locally.

I went on one of the Valley tours that Communities INC offers and saw first hand not only the needs but also spoke to those who had experienced the transforming power of Christ. It reminded me that even though poverty is a terrible reality for so many the real tragedy is the spiritual poverty that surrounds us. As we reach out to those who are lacking the daily necessities we also have the opportunity to share the love of Christ. If you haven’t yet taken one of the tours you can reserve a spot on the next one by calling the office at 559-374-5005.

Amazed by His grace!
Brenda Fiscus
Prayer Coordinator
Brenda@commuitiesinc.org

  • Tags:

Author:

Comments are closed.