A Life's Mission

This evening I attended a presentation at my church of five individuals who will soon be returning to missionary work in foreign countries. Two couples and one single women will be traveling to Jakarta and Papua in Indonesia and Nairobi, Kenya, to dedicate themselves to serving others. One of the couples will be taking their five children, all school-age or younger, to Jakarta.

Each spent a short time speaking about the work they do, sharing the joys and challenges of serving others far from home. Their ministries range from continued development of a new school, Papua Hope, educating children from remote Indonesian villages to lecturing at the Nairobi International School of Theology to providing administration for Mission Aviation Fellowship in Indonesia.

What struck me most about these people was not the hardships they suffer while being far from home or the huge sacrifices they have made to live around the world, but the absolute joy which radiated from them as they spoke about their work, about their life's missions. Each spoke about feeling called to serve and about being open to what that meant for them individually or as a couple.

It reminds me that we are all capable of serving in some fashion, and sometimes the little things we do can make a big difference. This lovely quote by Oprah Winfrey captures the idea of having a life's mission:

I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.