when I most feel like a missionary

Francisco, Corban, and I all ready to hike and visit homes

 Corban hopped out of the car with a skip and a jump.  Always outgoing, he quickly introduced himself to the newly arrived mission team, "Hi!  I am Corban.  We are missionaries too!"

Missionary... a new word in my 4-year-old's vocabulary... a concept he is just beginning to understand. 

What does it mean to be a missionary family?  I am sure it can vary from family to family, but in our case often times the daily routine becomes so familiar that I no longer even feel like a missionary.  We try to maintain a healthy routine of nap times and early bed times.  Corban gets up and goes to school.  My husband works a secular job to pay our family expenses so he is gone Monday through Friday from early until late just like many husbands.  I work at the mission base office and in my home office just like a regular working mom.  It all seems so normal and so routine.  Mom, semi-housewife, swimming lessons, karate, all these things can seem so much more real and pressing even in the midst of the mission field.

BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I KNOW I AM A MISSIONARY, WHEN I FEEL LIKE A REAL MISSIONARY AGAIN.  And this is when we host mission teams.  Hosting a mission team does something in me.  It makes me come alive again.  The adrenaline surge that comes with all the planning and then the actual hosting seems to awaken parts of me that fall into a gentle slumber at times.  IT IS WHEN I MOST FEEL LIKE A MISSIONARY.

These past 2 weeks have flown by in a blur.  In fact, the whole month has flown by.  Getting all the details nailed down for the two teams we hosted was its own whirlwind.  And now having the teams here is another.  How we have enjoyed greeting old friends and making new ones.  How we have enjoyed the fellowship and hard work together.   

The first team visited local homes to meet and pray for the families on a Sunday, so my husband was able to join us and help interpret.  

walking down the dirt road through the village

Mission team Dad and daughter inviting children to the camp

The family I translated for (sorry for the sideways pic, don't know how to fix this)

For quite a while now we have desired to hold some type of camp for the children and youth but lacked the resources to do it.  God gave us the desire of our heart by sending Camp Sonshine to hold a 3 day camp which changed these children, youth, and moms forever. 

craft time- super hero masks.  Jesus is our super hero!!!

the sports portion of the camp

amazing dramas and games to bring to life the point of the message

The next team has been amazing as well.  With generous hearts they packed 75 bags of food to give to local families and took the time to visit each home to pray for individual needs.  They are still here as I write this... doing puppet skits, dramas, and games all over San José Pinula, bringing a message of salvation and healing to the community.  God bless them for their tireless efforts.

weighing and measuring out portions of beans, rice, and oatmeal for the food bags

food bags complete!!!

After a long day of visiting homes and walking though miles of dirt and dust Corban lay in his bed, still contemplating the days accomplishments.  "Papi, we are missionaries in this house.  We pray for people.  We tell them about God." and as he drifted off to sleep he murmured, "and Cohen is the littlest missionary of all."

yes, we are a missionary family.  We do pray for people.  We do tell them about God's plan for them and introduce them to the power of Jesus.  Yes, we are missionaries, and this past month I think that concept has become even more clear to a preschooler just learning how to serve the Lord.

If you would like information on how to contact us or more about what we do you can see our website: www.crossculturejesus.org
We would love to hear from you, pray for you, and connect with you.