As an American living in Europe for the past year, I am often asked
the question “what do you miss most from home?” Besides the obvious answer
of friends and family, my answer usually surprises people. I find myself
often in search of common objects like a drinking fountain, a napkin, or
a trash can (rubbish bin for those non-American English speakers). These
objects, though present in Europe, are much more available in the United
States, and it is in their scarcity that I miss them.
What
pulled me away from my home and the familiarities that it provides? I decided
to do a Gap year of voluntary
Christian service. In our international network of Christian communities,
the Sword of the Spirit,
young people (ages 18-25) have the opportunity to devout a time of their
life to serve in various ways in one of our Christian communities. Often
the service involves direct personal evangelism- telling other people about
the Good News of Jesus Christ. This can be quite daunting especially since
the typical image of a missionary in the secular world is of a person wearing
an oversized cross holding a Bible in one hand and a machete in the other,
thrashing through the jungle of some distant land. But here I am,
living in a modern western country far from my home and living as a missionary.
I have found that at times it has been pretty hard being in Europe where
faith is often harder to find than those objects I miss from home. But
I have found hope in the many signs of real faith that I have discovered
there. I have seen a variety of Christians expressing their love for the
Gospel through their hospitality shown to me, in their generous sharing
of resources for the spread of the Gospel – especially time and money,
and in the significant amount of intercessory prayer they do as well. It
is through these acts that I am encouraged to continue and preserve despite
the difficult faith climate in Europe.
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The desperate need for Europe to hear the truth and the beauty of the
Gospel, and the shining glimmers of light that I have experienced through
other people’s faith, have led me to abandon those little luxuries of drinking
fountains, napkins, and trash cans in order to continue being a missionary
in Europe for another year. Perhaps my life would be a bit easier if I
were back home doing things I am familiar with, but the joy I have experienced
here in Europe to help build Christ’s kingdom overrides any small discomforts
I might experience. My prayer now is that I will have the strength to continue
working for the spread of the Gospel like the missionaries who I have encountered
here, and that other people will also rise up and respond to the need for
God’s love to be declared courageously in our homes, to a neighbor or even
in another country. |