One of the many things that missions shows us is that we as Christians really are a family in Christ. No matter where you go all around the world on your mission trip, the fellow believers you encounter are family. They are your brothers and sisters in Christ. Not only is that evident to us in the way that we serve and love each other right from the start, but it’s evident to the people around us.
Our first ministry day in Chicago, me and my group of five participants did L-train evangelism. This is where you hop on the L and see who you meet, where it takes you, and what God might do. At this point, my team and I had been together for less than 24 hours. But already I had seen the way they served me by jumping in to help with the dishes, or served the church by watching over the cook’s grandson while she made our dinner. I also saw the way the church welcomed us with open arms and took us out for some frozen ice. Basically, I had seen us be family to each other in just a matter of hours.
So here we were, a newfound family of Christians, walking to the L. On the way, we saw a woman begging for money at a bus stop. I asked her if she wanted some Dunkin’ Donuts. She did, and a couple of us went to get it while the rest sat and chatted with her. Her name was Doris. She was a lovely Mexican grandmother with a contagious smile. We talked for a long time, getting to know her and laughing with her. At one point, she looked at us and said, “I can tell you guys are really close. You must have known each other a long time.” We laughed as one of our participants told her, “Actually, we just met yesterday.”
She was floored. She thought by the way we were interacting with each other and with her, we had been friends for years and years. That’s what being a part of the Christian body means. It means we have family everywhere. It means we take care of each other. We’re not always perfect at it, but through Christ we do our best to love each other well. This doesn’t only benefit us, but it helps show God’s love to people like Doris, who could tell right off the bat that there was something different about us.
So take a trip. Around your city, around your state, around your country, around the world. Find your family. Love each other well. And show that love to the people around you, so that they can see what they’re missing.
