The end of the beginning?

Last night I travelled to Monmouth Baptist Church for our final Home Assignment speaking engagement. It felt appropriate to be crossing a national border (into Wales) once more as a BMS mission worker - and I enjoyed a great evening talking with a group of engaged and interested church members about Thailand and the Karen churches.

Throughout this Home Assignment, we have been speaking about journeys. We've shared about the highs and lows of our own mission journey. We've thought about some of the lessons the Bible teaches us about the lifelong call to mission - for all followers of Jesus.

An unexpected bonus for me, however, has been listening to people telling us their stories. In almost every church we've visited, people have spoken to us about their own mission journeys. Some have shared a growing sense of God calling them into overseas mission. Others have told us about exciting local mission initiatives they are involved with. Still others have talked of being challenged by God to have a conversation with somebody, or to go somewhere they've never been - to build up relationships with those who are marginalised or ignored in their areas.

Pirates on the beach: Outreach programme on Southwold Beach

And we have seen churches with thriving cafes reaching out to local communities, churches with youth groups doing great work in difficult areas, churches working together to produce pirate-themed dramas on holiday beaches, churches praying with passion and dedication for world mission, churches launching new discipleship training programmes. We've been encouraged to see God at work in so many diverse ways.

Great views from here: Perspectives change as we travel 

We haven't found the experience of journeying in mission an easy one. After all, if you're on a journey, it means you're leaving somewhere behind. We miss Thailand. But one big advantage of travelling is that you gain a new perspective at every turn. And we're realising that, if we would just look, evidence of God's ongoing mission activity is all around.

So, as we enter the final weeks of our current term of service with BMS, I don't think this is the end of our mission journey. Not even the beginning of the end. But maybe, just maybe, it is the end of the beginning.