Here is what we have learned on the mission field:

• Mission work is the only work that we do not need to be afraid to fail at. We have all already won because the biggest accomplishment was just saying yes. Yes to the pull, yes to the calling to step out of our comfort zones and serve God’s people. God will work and move in ways we cannot even comprehend. The impact may not even be seen for generations, because it is not about us seeing the fruits of our own labor, it’s about us planting the seeds. If we are constantly in need of big experiences to be validated as useful to the kingdom then we will feel unusable the majority of our lives. Rest in knowing that when you say “Yes” you are already pleasing God.
  
  
• You are an answer to Jesus’s prayer. In Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus says the harvest is great but the workers are few. Then he prays asking God to send more workers. He could have prayed for healing, for food, for shelter, or for comfort. He could have just done a miracle and met everyone's needs, but he didn’t … he prayed for more disciples, more missionaries. When you go on a mission trip you are an actual answer to Jesus's prayer. The greatest need is not physical resources like we often think, it’s more people like you. The harvest is great, the people are hungry for the Word of God, but the workers are few. Be a part of the few.

• It is not about “us” and “the people who need us.” We’re all equally loved, seen, and valued by God. When we talk about meeting others’ needs, we talk as though we’re the people with all the power, resources, or stuff to share, while the “people in need” are a separate group of people. Our resources and geographical location have nothing to do with our value in God’s eyes. There is only “us.”

The best teams are made up of a bunch of nobodies, who love everybody, serve anybody and don’t care about becoming a somebody. Some of my best friends and lifelong relationships have been found and formed on the mission field, my kids have grown in their faith on the mission field, my marriage is stronger because of the mission field, and my heart has been changed for God’s people near and far. 

*1Mission is a longtime mission partner of The Refinery Christian Church. They are a community development organization giving people in poverty in Mexico, Nicaragua, and El Salvador the opportunity to earn a house by serving their communities.

Nikki Mattison is the Student Director at The Refinery Christian Church. She has a heart for the next generation and a passion to reach those far from God. She not only loves to write and read commentaries about how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies, she also creates and performs poetry and spoken word.