I met him while on a mission trip to India, and he stole my heart. His name is Rockeesh. A brown eyed, chicklet-grinned, beautiful little boy, full of life and laughter. He had been living on the street, along with his sister and brother for years, and had recently been rescued from a life of abuse and poverty by a pastor and his family, sponsored by the Angel House Rescue Orphanage Organization. I had the privilege of spending the day at his new home, along with those on my team, and for some reason he picked me. We spent the day together laughing, eating, and learning about the love of Jesus. We played catch with a little red ball someone had brought for what seemed like hours. But it wasn’t about playing or eating, it was about connecting. It’s amazing how the love of God can be so evident even in the simplest of acts. The presence of God was undeniable in that little house that day. It was a little taste of heaven.
As I waited in the van to leave, I saw him circling the vehicles in front of mine. He was running and looking in the windows. Then he got to mine and he smiled when he saw me. “Tele” he said joyfully and he waved goodbye. I laughed and I cried as we pulled away.
I’m getting ready to go on another mission trip. This time to Haiti with Convoy of Hope. For the past several months I have been meeting with my team from church to pray and prepare, and all the while, Rockeesh is in the back of my mind. What does the Lord want to do this time? Who will I meet and what will I do? Whatever it is, paint a school, play with children, cook a meal, etc… I’m ready. Ready to give. Ready to serve. Ready to love.
Last week, I was on my hands and knees begrudgingly cleaning around one of the toilets in my home. I was thinking about how nasty it was, and a thought that could only be from the Lord flashed through my mind, “Would this be your attitude if you were in Haiti?” Immediately I knew the answer and I knew the point He was making. If I were in Haiti and not Michigan, I would be cleaning with joy because that is the mentality I have when on missions. It’s a slightly different mentality than I have when I’m at home. (wink) On missions, I know that I need to be flexible. I know that what I do “for the least of these, I do unto the Lord”. (Matt 25:40) And that is the inconsistency the Lord graciously pointed out to me that day.
What if I lived with a missions mentality all of the time? What if I were flexible and easy to be around no matter where I was? What if I loved and served my neighbors, my family and my friends like I did Rockeesh, when I was half way across the world? I was reminded that day in my bathroom what an honor it is to serve my family. What a privilege it is to have people in my life to serve and love and laugh with.
Today, let’s live like full-time missionaries in our minds and attitudes. Let’s make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit and be willing to do the dirty work, keep the peace or feed the hungry. Whatever expectations we have for today, let’s lay them down and allow the Lord to use us to be a blessing to a broken and hurting world.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23
Quote:
“After spending time with these children, we simply could not turn our eyes and hearts aside. These children needed a safe place to call home, and we were determined to make that happen.”
Lindsay Russo
(Founder of Angel House)