Missions Q&A: Loren

What are you most excited about for your trip?
I am excited to be involved in active ministry beyond my everyday comfortable life in my apartment, college, library, church, etc. This is where there is going to be a lot of movement and activity and places I have never been and situations I have never experienced. This is a good thing because it keeps my mind active and working, and I need to stay challenged and need to keep learning new things in order to engage my faith and the faith of others more consistently. I have to admit, I am an adventurer, so seeing new sights and exploring new places of the world is an exciting thing for me. My wife and I are also looking forward to discovering how we do missions together, for this is our first missions trip since knowing each other. This trip will hopefully help solidify in our minds how we want to go about serving in missions for the future.

What does it mean to be fully engaged in Christian service with Acts 1 in mind?
Well, for starters, there is no such thing as Christian service without 'continually devoting ourselves to prayer.' Second, Christian service involves the proclamation that 'the Scriptures has to be fulfilled.' The Christian must have an understanding of how God is working through history, especially through Jesus, before being able to sincerely be engaged in his or her service.

In light of being in a new culture while trying to support a Biblical worldview, what criteria do you use in determining if certain behaviors are biblical, contextual or universal?
First, does a behavior transgress or agree with any commands Jesus himself enforced? Does it conflict or match up with what the Bible as a whole clearly enforces? Does it cause dissention or sin to come about, or the opposite? Or is it neutral in regards to Scripture? Then does it clearly violate or agree with the resident culture? Will it hinder the Kingdom or the church, or will it promote them? Then it enters the realm of the individual conscience. Does he feel bad about it, or does he feel really good about it, or is it just a matter of preference, or even neutrality?

What are the keys to effectively entering into another culture, especially for communicating the gospel within it?
Humility (Having the mind and attitude of Christ as in Phillipians 2). Recognition and understanding of cultural differences. Understanding what is essential in the Gospel message (that which is essential for salvation) and what is not (i.e.: gray areas, things not critical for salvation, preferences). Forming friendships. Giving lots of time and service and effort. Know-how of the foreign country. PRAYER.

What insight is God giving you about why he wants you to go?
I have a lot to learn about not living simply the way I want to live. For that is an easy mentality to have in America, with all our wealth, comfort and self-rights laws. As an American speaking English, I am of course used to everyone else in the world wanting to be like us (though its hard to imagine why most of the time), and they are the ones learning English and learning our culture. If I am going to be a missionary, there are aspects of my life (and stuff) that I will not be able to rely on or take with me, and I will be the stranger and the one having to learn much.

Things I believe God wants to accomplish through me this summer.
I believe God wants to accomplish baby steps through me. I pray He will use me to do little but essential things as encourage, teach, and disciple the church here and there. All interactions of the members of Christ’s church are little bits of encouragement, teaching and discipleship which provides an environment for constant growth to thrive. So it is in these three humble and subtle things which I believe God wants to accomplish in and through me.

Essential qualities of a good missionary:
A missionary has to be a people person (but not necessarily an extrovert). He has to be excitable: why else would one want to be a missionary unless he could be excited about what God will do and is doing with the people group? (but again, not necessarily in an extrovert sort of way) Loves the Word of God and wants to be intimately acquainted with it, for that it contains the message worth spreading, and it is the basis of a missionary life and a Christian life altogether!

Personal missions statement developed up to this point:
I should be a servant, even when the service is not on my terms. Life, service and joy is nowhere equivalent to convenience, and this trip is to make sure I can learn that.