A PASTOR'S TESTIMONY: SERVING THE SERVANTS

Last fall, a pastor was exploring short-term mission trip options for his own family. He wanted his kids to have a meaningful experience and not feel like they are just a tag-along. He wanted a trip that would benefit the team that goes and create opportunities to mobilize more people for missions.  

That’s when James, a tentmaker in our network whom the church supports, reached out to him: “Come serve the kids and teens at our annual retreat!  You’ll meet the adults in our network too and get to know the community my family’s a part of.” 

The pastor did come this past January, bringing his family, the senior pastor’s son, and two women from the church’s children and youth ministries. 

Together, the children explored their unique identity and experience as third-culture kids. They created family banners and life maps. They hiked and swam, played games and competed. After the conference, they made a video to thank Pastor Nate’s team for their time together.

Inspired by the experience, Pastor Nate shared his reflections with us:  

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now…Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (Phil 1:3-5, 27-30)

This past January, I had the incredible honor and privilege of leading my wife and two school-age kids (9 and 7) along with 3 other teammates from my church to go and serve a group of tentmakers and families at their annual conference. 

The Ideal Fit For Us

At our church, one of our core values is advancing multiplication, where we prioritize both sending our own members into the field as well as creating opportunities that mobilize more and more of our people. 

So, when I was considering leading my family on their first short term missions (STM) trip, I knew I needed to reach out to those we have already sent to the field, trusting that they would know best the true needs on the field and how best the local church can come and support them. 

James, a former elder of our church, was the first one of many to respond, and requested a small team to come serve the children and youth of his network at their annual conference in Asia.

Kids Are Not “Carry-ons” 

For a family with young kids, this seemed the ideal fit. I wanted my kids to be just as active a participant of the trip as the rest of us, serving in the ways they are able, instead of being off to the side as additional “carry-ons” that we had to take with us. Knowing that there were going to be kids there in similar age ranges as our own made this trip more personal - as we prepared the sessions for the week (10, total!), we had in mind how our kids would engage with them and come alongside those who were going to be there. 

So, as we prepared, my kids learned about the unique needs of third-culture kids that the children and youth at the conference experienced as missionary kids and how they could be a blessing to them just by offering friendship, play, and connection even during the short time we were there. 

Connecting those felt needs with reminders that Jesus himself grew up as a third-culture kid, knows the emotions and struggles they go through, and can be the trusted Savior and friend they need to go through life, shaped our time with them.

Doing What Paul Longed To Do

Indeed, this is what the apostle Paul longed to do in visiting the Philippians - to go, see, and hear of how his long-time friends were doing: how they were standing firm in the gospel that bound them together, persevering through suffering in order for the gospel to go out. 

Through our interactions with the children and the youth and conversations with various tentmakers, what we saw and heard was the Father’s great love and grace poured out on these brothers and sisters - that despite various trials, whether in their work, or ministry, or home life, their steadfastness in His provision in the midst of scarcity of resources, His peace in the midst of uncertainty, and His presence in the midst of the valleys not only shined through but greatly encouraged our team from the US.

The Multiplier-STM of Serving the Servants

This is a different kind of family STM trip than what many may be used to. Some family STM trips are focused on sharing the gospel to as many as possible through putting on a VBS and attracting as many kids or families as possible with lots of crafts and toys. Others are benevolence focused where families work on a certain project that benefits the local church or community. And while those kinds of trips have their place, I have seen both through Scripture and through my own experiences that when we bless and encourage the workers and the laborers of the harvest through these trips (like how the Philippians sent Epaphroditus to minister to Paul), there’s a multiplying effect that happens - both in the field when missionaries and their families are refreshed and renewed in their calling to sow seeds of the gospel and to harvest those God has prepared as well as within the local church as teams return, reporting on all that God is doing around the world so that more and more workers would be sent.

My prayer is that as other church leaders read this, they would be encouraged to reach out to those they’ve sent into the field to see how they can minister to them, to serve those who are serving the field, so that they gospel can be multiplied in those places and in the process, be refreshed themselves. We are committed to this kind of trip. Will you join us so that our tentmakers can see our partnership with them in the gospel?

Go, See, and Hear those who Go, Live, and Serve.