A Whole New World-A Whole New Family In the Disney movie ...
A Whole New World-A Whole New Family In the Disney movie, Aladdin, there’s a famous scene and song where the main characters are floating through the city of Agrabah, seeing the world through different eyes. Both characters are from very different backgrounds, but floating high above their city, they truly were able to see things from a different perspective. No wonder they burst into song, singing about A Whole New World! Isn’t it funny how a change in scenery can alter your perception of the world? For me, I’ve spent the past 25+ years taking teenagers on mission. I’ve been to over six different countries and taken over 17 student mission trips. Although those trips allowed our teams to make an impact on the cultures we encountered, I must confess an ulterior motive. I believed (and still do!) that when you take a person out of their familiar environment into a different culture, they are changed forever. They see things differently. They see the world differently. So, you’d expect nothing less of me, then, when I tell you that my wife and I made a decision in our marriage, that taking our children on mission early in their lives would be a high priority for us. We wanted our children to have a heart of compassion and service. Little did we realize what an impact that decision would make on our entire family! We were looking for change in our kids; what we got was a different family! Ok, maybe I need to clarify that last statement. We didn’t TRADE our kids for new ones! (Tell me that idea hasn’t crossed your mind a few times!) The “different family” we wound up with was a family that was closer, more committed to Christ, and had a more others-centered focus in most everything we did. Here are a few of the major “wins” we found as we did ministry together. Maybe these “wins” will motivate you. Compassionate Kids – Colossians 3:12 gives us a great list of Christ-like qualities we should all strive for. One of the items listed is compassion. Who wouldn’t want a more compassionate kid, am I right? Paul uses the phrase “clothe yourselves”; like an outer garment. It’s one thing to feel compassion for another person; it’s something else entirely to display compassion to another person. Serving with your kids opens up all kinds of doors for you to be able to display compassion to people. It’s only natural, then, that we will develop a compassionate lifestyle as we show compassion. Strong Leaders – One of the big challenges that mission trips present to the average American is flexibility. Our fast-paced lifestyle is such a foreign concept to many countries. We plan our day of ministry, but we get to the work site two hours late, supplies aren’t there, or our transportation never shows up to pick us up. (All of which have happened to me on the mission field!) These moments force us to be flexible, and flexibility forces us to take up leadership. How will we spend that time while waiting on our ride? What ministry can we do since our supplies
aren’t here? How can we work together to get us where we need to go? By putting our families into a problem-solving environment, we re-activate leadership skills in our kids. Several years ago, while on mission with my very shy, oldest daughter (who was 13 at the time), we were on our way to help rebuild housing for Haitians who had been displaced during a massive earthquake. We arrived to a team of Haitians very excited to see us. We gathered together to pray over the work, but instead of diving right into the labor, they began to sing worship songs and dance. After a few Haitian songs, they looked at us as if to say “Ok, Americans! You’re turn!” I was not prepared for this. My daughter, however, gathered up a few of the other teens on the team and began to sing a worship song. Everyone broke out into dance. Laughter ensued. I saw a side of my daughter come through that day that I had never seen before. Today, she’s a college student, wanting to be a teacher, so that she has more time to serve on the mission field. Better Communication in the Family – This is one of the most common complaints that I hear from families. Parents complain that their kids don’t talk to them anymore. Students wish their parents would share more about their lives. Both sides are hungry for conversation, but no one is talking. Communication breaks down through our inability to have shared experiences. We simply don’t have anything to talk about that ties us together. By taking time to do ministry together, you open ourselves to topics of conversation that bring a family closer and take conversation deeper. It even allows families to share their experiences with other families on mission and living in community with one another. This concept is seen in the story of the Woman at the Well. In John 4, a Samaritan woman with a poor reputation in her town has an encounter with Jesus at a well. After this encounter, the woman goes into town and asks the people to “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did!” Because of her encounter with Jesus, she had a boldness to talk to the very people who she was at odds with. Later, the people responded by going to hear Jesus for themselves. Jesus opens doors of conversations among people who don’t normally speak to one another. If your family is not having godly conversations, doing missions together will break down those walls. Improved self-image – Arguably one the foundational issues associated with teenage problems is an unhealthy self-image. Teen rebellion, peer pressure and relationship issues can all be traced back to a student that doesn’t have a solid foundation of who they are and the purpose God has for them. This is probably the most exciting benefit that I’ve seen from having our girls serving alongside my wife and I on mission trips. It actually is the pinnacle of all the other benefits that I’ve shared so far. The results of a family that have compassionate hearts, strong leadership and open communication are a family that is secure in who they are in Christ and what their purpose in life is. Families serving in mission work together find a whole new world open to them. They become a family that is no longer easily sucked into the trappings of their day-to-day world. They see
themselves as a Kingdom-minded family, with a renewed sense of purpose and different perspective on the people around them. My family has become a different family because of the opportunities we’ve had to serve together. On those days when trading in your family for a new one comes along, ask God to open up a door a service for you and your family to walk through. Then watch as God does something in and through your family. It’s worth the investment!
aren’t here? How can we work together to get us where we need to go? By putting our families into a problem-solving environment, we re-activate leadership skills in our kids. Several years ago, while on mission with my very shy, oldest daughter (who was 13 at the time), we were on our way to help rebuild housing for Haitians who had been displaced during a massive earthquake. We arrived to a team of Haitians very excited to see us. We gathered together to pray over the work, but instead of diving right into the labor, they began to sing worship songs and dance. After a few Haitian songs, they looked at us as if to say “Ok, Americans! You’re turn!” I was not prepared for this. My daughter, however, gathered up a few of the other teens on the team and began to sing a worship song. Everyone broke out into dance. Laughter ensued. I saw a side of my daughter come through that day that I had never seen before. Today, she’s a college student, wanting to be a teacher, so that she has more time to serve on the mission field. Better Communication in the Family – This is one of the most common complaints that I hear from families. Parents complain that their kids don’t talk to them anymore. Students wish their parents would share more about their lives. Both sides are hungry for conversation, but no one is talking. Communication breaks down through our inability to have shared experiences. We simply don’t have anything to talk about that ties us together. By taking time to do ministry together, you open ourselves to topics of conversation that bring a family closer and take conversation deeper. It even allows families to share their experiences with other families on mission and living in community with one another. This concept is seen in the story of the Woman at the Well. In John 4, a Samaritan woman with a poor reputation in her town has an encounter with Jesus at a well. After this encounter, the woman goes into town and asks the people to “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did!” Because of her encounter with Jesus, she had a boldness to talk to the very people who she was at odds with. Later, the people responded by going to hear Jesus for themselves. Jesus opens doors of conversations among people who don’t normally speak to one another. If your family is not having godly conversations, doing missions together will break down those walls. Improved self-image – Arguably one the foundational issues associated with teenage problems is an unhealthy self-image. Teen rebellion, peer pressure and relationship issues can all be traced back to a student that doesn’t have a solid foundation of who they are and the purpose God has for them. This is probably the most exciting benefit that I’ve seen from having our girls serving alongside my wife and I on mission trips. It actually is the pinnacle of all the other benefits that I’ve shared so far. The results of a family that have compassionate hearts, strong leadership and open communication are a family that is secure in who they are in Christ and what their purpose in life is. Families serving in mission work together find a whole new world open to them. They become a family that is no longer easily sucked into the trappings of their day-to-day world. They see
themselves as a Kingdom-minded family, with a renewed sense of purpose and different perspective on the people around them. My family has become a different family because of the opportunities we’ve had to serve together. On those days when trading in your family for a new one comes along, ask God to open up a door a service for you and your family to walk through. Then watch as God does something in and through your family. It’s worth the investment!
