About 15 years ago I wrote an article about Rachel and her participation on five mission trips. In trip photos, Rachel was always smiling and serving alongside the other team members. She helped her mother cook meals for the team and entertained a young child whose parents were leading a Bible study for the villagers. Rachel was bilingual \u2013 a communication skill that helped her contribute as a team member. The unique aspect of the article was Rachel\u2019s age–she was only six at the time.<\/p>\n
Rachel obviously came from a mission-minded family. (In fact, her father was on a mission trip to Mexico when he met her mother, a teacher in one of the churches where he was ministering.) I know Rachel\u2019s family well and have watched her grow up. I have seen the family take every opportunity to be involved in God\u2019s work \u2013 not only serving on short-term trips, but also opening their homes to global workers. Rachel is now an adult, wife, and new mom. Recently, I asked her if those trips made a difference in her life. Here is her response.<\/p>\n
Growing up in a mission-minded church with a family who went on trips was so great! My favorite time of the year was when we had our mission conference at church. I enjoyed meeting the global workers, hearing their stories, and learning what God was doing around the world. Growing up, I always wanted to be a global worker, and it’s something that my husband and I have talked about doing in the future in some way. Going on mission trips was a great way for me to personally see how God is at work around our country and the world. It has led to my having a desire to serve God however I can. I hope to take my own kids on mission trips someday.<\/em><\/p>\n More and more churches are offering mission trips where parents and children can serve together. Rachel participated in family mission trips at an early age. Her parents gave her small tasks to do which made her part of the team. The experiences have had a long-term effect on her as she and her husband start their own family and look toward the future.<\/p>\n What about your sons and daughters or the children in your church? Are you willing to offer them such opportunities? Here are some suggestions for creating such a legacy in your home and church.<\/p>\n Rachel\u2019s parents intentionally cultivated a love for serving God around the world in their family. The result is a young adult who, along with her husband, is still mission-minded today. What about your family? What might be the fruit of such intentional efforts to introduce your children to God\u2019s world and work?<\/p>\n \u201cStart children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.\u201d<\/em> (Proverbs 22:6)<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" About 15 years ago I wrote an article about Rachel and her participation on five mission trips. In trip photos, Rachel was always smiling and serving alongside the other team members. She helped her mother cook meals for the team and entertained a young child whose parents were leading a Bible study for the villagers. […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":217,"featured_media":3322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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