Retreat!

Last week was the AfM Asia missionary reterat. Since Chiang Mai, Thailand is Asia's headquarters, all those wonderful people you read about every month came here. For the first couple days, I was kind of in awe. I was actually in the same building with these Adventist celebraties, and what's more, they would actually talk to me! It was right up there with meeting Desmond Doss! But soon I came back to earth and realized that "missionaries are real people too." - Tim Holbrook.
Since I'm not a career missionary (yet!), I got the awesome job of helping Mrs. Burn and Mrs. Nancy with the children's VBS program. Well... I helped decorate some, but most of my days were spent taking care of the little little kids - as in the ones who couldn't talk yet. But I absolutly loved it! After working at daycare for the last two years, I'd been haveing withdrawls from having no babies/toddlers around. I think it was actually tharaputic to change diapers again! I know, I'm wierd. But even though the little ones can be a challenge at times, I had a blast!
Meal times were my favorite part of the day. I'd fill my plate and look over the dining room full of these warriors of the cross, and think to myself, "who do I get to sit with today?!" I loved getting to know people I'd only read about, and getting reaquainted with people I knew from training, or who I'd met earlier this year. I'm pretty sure the food was really good... but I was usually to busy listening to these amazing people to notice. Let me tell you what, these missionaries are great listeners and give amazing advice!
I did get to attend a couple of the worships, and a few song services, and I loved every minute. It was inspiring enough to be in the same room with all these people who had devoted their lives to God in mission service, but then to have and inspiring message on top of that?! Almost a sensory overload! Don't get me wrong though, these missionaries do have struggles, and their lives are far from glamorous, but maybe that's what makes them more amazing - the fact that they are sticking it out through all the struggles. Wow.
The theme song for the week was "Bearers of the Light" by Michael Card. It was a great song! The chorus read: "The light we must bear, is the light we must share, is the light that illumines the darkness. The promises kept give us strength to accept, this burden of bearing the light." You might want to look it it. It's an awesome song.
The retreat lasted for a full week, and then all the soldiers of the cross headed back to their battle fields. I was sorry to see them go. I had finally started to feel like I knew a little bit of them, of who they were, and not just a picture and a story in the magazine. As Laurence Burn taught us in SM training, I had gotten a little of their dust on me, and I hated to see them go.
I am so thankful for the Asia missionaries retreat. Not only did I get some dust on me from these amazing front line fighters, but they pointed me, through their examples, to the orrigional duster - Jesus. They inspired me to really get to know my Master on a deeper leval than I ever have before.
The third verse of the theme song read, "The great need of us all, a true mentor, a Paul, who has travled the road that's before us, he has made good the pledge, to take the light on ahead, we can follow his footsteps before us." I don't know if those career missionaries will ever know how much their example means to me. They are a Paul to me. They and I look up to and respect them imensly. Though they may be only people, they are people who have answered the call of Christ, and in who's footsteps I would be proud to follow, as they follow His.

What about you? Yeah, you, sitting there reading this in your comfy computer chair in the USA. God's calling you too. There are some amazing warriors out here, but there's a need for more. You may say you could never be like them, or do what they do, but guess what? God doesn't call the equiped, He equips the called. Can you hear Him? He's calling YOU. He wants your help in finishing His work. Won't you answer?

God bless - Mishala afmonline.org