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The Fourth Stage
It goes fast, doesn’t it?
Every mission trip has a few
stages. The first one is arriving
at your mission trip location
and trying to get settled. You’re
sleeping somewhere new.
Roosters start crowing at 3:00
AM - who knew? And what’s up
with that snoring roommate?
Remember the first night, when
your trip leader taught you a new
way to use the toilet and brush
your teeth? And why was church
three hours long? In the first
stage, everything is new and weird
and exciting all at the same time.
Then the second stage sets in as
you establish a new normal. You
get used to everything, and you
know where to go and what to
expect. You (hopefully) fall in love
with the food, your church partner,
and the ministry in which you are
involved. Each day of your week
deeply connects your soul with
the community in ways you’ve
never experienced before. You
discover that serving as the hands
and feet of Jesus brings you life
and energy and you love every
second of it. But then there’s
the third phase: the realization
that you’re going home. As a trip
leader, I dread this moment - the
moment when everyone gets
quiet and reality sets in that the
trip is ending. In fact, it might have
happened for you just last night.
I want to encourage you that
there’s actually a fourth stage of
this journey we’re on together.
Yes, leaving the mission field is
hard. Trust me on this. I’m really,
really old. I’m about 1,000 years
old in mission trip years. From
my first mission trip as a middle
schooler in 1990 to the trips I’m
leading this summer, leaving the
field is always hard. Each of us
said yes to Jesus when we agreed
to come on this trip. You prepared
and raised money, and maybe you
got on an airplane for the very
first time. And that’s why the third
stage of your trip is so hard. It
feels like it’s all crashing down and
ending all at once.
But it’s not over. It’s. Not. Over.
There’s a fourth stage to our
trip. And it might be the most
important one yet.
In John 1, The Message says,
“The Word became flesh and
blood, and moved into the
neighborhood.” Jesus - you know,
God in the flesh - came to earth
to show us how to live. And, when
He did that, He didn’t live in a
palace or belong to private clubs
or eat at exclusive restaurants. He
moved into the neighborhood. In
the same way, Jesus planted you
exactly where you are, to bring
Good News to your neighborhood.
And that, my friends, is the fourth
stage of this mission trip.
I want to challenge you to
consider, right now and on your
way home, practical ways you
can live out the things you’ve
learned on your mission trip in
your own community.