September 9, 2018
I'm pleased to host this guest post written by Sarah from Texas. I hope you all will be inspired by her story and her experiences in the missions field as much as I was! God teaches and grows us in unexpected ways sometimes even if it takes less than favorable circumstances.
I got back from a two-week mission trip to Southeast Asia over a month ago… and I’m still unpacking all of my thoughts and feelings toward the trip.
It took us three planes to get back on US soil, and I have never been more happy to land at San Antonio International Airport. Seriously, the only other times I had ever been there were times I was coming from trips to South America, and I wasn’t happy to be in the States again. But this July? I was counting down the minutes. My stomach hated Asia. I couldn’t speak the language. I was around people all the time (my extroverted self has a limit). Ministry, especially the last day, was a little exhausting. For several weeks, I looked back and thought, “glad it happened, glad it’s over.”
Lots of people on our team fell in love with this Asian country. I didn’t, at least not the way I fell in love with South America in my last three trips. Southeast Asia took me far outside my comfort zone, which is apparently contained in North and South America.
Remembering those fourteen days in the country, I mostly smile. Fried rice, sweet friends, and beautiful beaches fill my mind. But the thought of going back terrifies me. I think I figured out on this trip I am not called to Asia. It confirmed South America in my mind. Not usually what happens on a mission trip, getting confirmation of a calling somewhere else, but good. I didn’t fall in love with the country. And that’s okay because I fell in love with something else. Muslims.
Whenever I see someone with a head covering, I get excited. I’m weird, I know. It didn’t use to be that way. But after spending two weeks in a predominantly Muslim country, something changed. Those people, they are beautiful. For us in Southeast Asia, all we had to do was spend five minutes talking to someone and we would be invited to their house. They went all out when they had little to give, and taught me many things about hospitality. I’ll never forget it.
So, even if no one I came in contact with in that country becomes a believer, I guess I hope they remember the love we showed them. Not to sound cliched (but it totally is), the biggest change happened in me, not them. I’ll say it: I love Muslims. I didn’t before, at least not how I do now. But wow, I love them. The good news is that we have Muslims in the States too. I cannot wait to go through life and be kind to them, because most Christians aren’t. I cannot wait to break the status quo, to love them, to be friends, the dinner party kind. I cannot wait to show them who Jesus is.
I went on a mission trip to Southeast Asia. I have some great memories there, some not so great ones. I’m glad it happened but glad it’s over. I found out I just love South America more, and that’s okay because people there need Jesus too. But I am so thankful for the lesson learned there, that I learned how to love Muslims (hint: love them like anyone else). That will last longer than anything else I could have possibly learned or given.
Author: Sarah Wright
I’m Sarah and I’m from San Antonio, Texas. Having grown up going on mission trips, I’m passionate about missions and the life change going somewhere and speaking His name can bring. When I’m not on a trip or planning one, I love reading, being around kids (the Sunday school room at church is my happy place!), and drinking coffee. These thoughts have been on my heart since my last trip, and I hope they give people a new perspective on missions.
