How We Got There?

Both my husband and I used to be members at larger churches. That was before we even knew each other. Mike ran the PA at his church and I was helping with the children’s class and VBS at my church.

One day I looked around my church and got to thinking about all the wonderful talent that was there. I thought, “You know there are lots of really talented people here who could do what I am doing. I need to find a place to work for God where He really needs me.” Basically the same thing happened to Mike.

And so, we went to the Mission. At the first church service I attended there was no one to play the piano. It seems like I had only been there a few minutes when someone announced, “If there is anyone here who can play the piano we’d really appreciate you playing for us.” I promptly got up and sat down at the bench.

The first song I played was, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” It was like God was telling me I was at the right place because I had just played that song at the larger church I was leaving. I still had duties there that same day and since they met at different times I attended both churches.

About the Mission

The Mission is very needy. It’s needs reach far beyond the abilities of it’s few active members. There is usually; never enough money, never enough people to do the work, and it’s never clean enough. The few active members wear many hats both in the church, the school, and on the board. Sometimes the preacher doesn’t show up to preach and the elder preaches a sermon on the spot.

Unfortunately, the school at the Mission closed this year. My husband taught at the school the 3 previous years. I helped him by teaching Bible class, cooking, cleaning, and in various other ways. He drove the bus (sometimes 2 hours a day),  prepared lessons, taught, graded papers, cooked, and cleaned.

The same room was used as a classroom as was used for holding church. So every Friday the classroom had to be taken down, things moved out, and the church set up. The reverse process happened on Monday mornings.

It’s the kind of place you never knew; how many kids you’d have to feed at potluck, how many kids you’d have for a youth trip, or how many you’d have for the children’s class at church. Sometimes no one came, or maybe one, or sometimes more than ten.

I can see how God used all these uncertainties to help us develop patience, flexibility, and submission to His will.

Avoiding Burnout

Many people have burned out and left the Mission and I can certainly see why. The only way to avoid doing this was to ask God to help us prioritize the work and then pace ourselves to avoid burnout.

We had to balance the needs of the Mission with the needs at our home, our health, and most importantly our time with God. If we got so busy helping at the Mission that we didn’t stay close to God then what did we really have to share with others? We had to be fed spiritually to have something spiritual to give.

You might be thinking what a dismal, forlorn and overwhelming place. It did seem quite forlorn at times but we weren’t doing it for the praise of men. We were there for God’s praise and His glory.

Having said all this, the Mission is the “type” of place I want to be. It’s the type of place God can really use me. It’s the type of place I want to be when He comes back and says, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

“You know there are lots of really talented people here who could do what I am doing. I need to find a place to work for God where He really needs me.”

It’s the type of place I want to be when He comes back and says, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

It’s the kind of place you never knew; how many kids you’d have to feed at potluck, how many kids you’d have for a youth trip...

There is usually; never enough money, never enough people to do the work, and it’s never clean enough.

The first song I played was, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” It was like God was telling me I was at the right place because I had just played that song...

Many people have burned out and left the Mission and I can certainly see why.