Missions, the unloved and mercy!!

While in our Focus groups yesterday we had a senior return from his trip from Africa. I had asked him to share some of his experiences and and things that he saw. He sat there and spoke with conviction and love for the people that he met in Africa. He shared his heart and emotions of the things he saw and experienced in that broken place. He said things like...

"I met so many children who were infected with AIDS"

"I saw a mother dying of AIDS and she cried when we dropped off food"

"People after they would use the bathroom would put it in a trash bag and throw it on the streets"

"When Christians would pray it wouldn't be a thank you God for this food prayer, but a sincere prayer for providing a daily meal"

"There was a road called AIDS avenue were kids were prostituting themselves for the truckers that would stop by"

After hearing his story I think everyone in our group wanted to go to Africa. Something I love about the followers of Jesus is how we are to love the unloved. How we are to care for the kids with AIDS, the adult with cancer, the homeless and prostitutes. I love that we are called to show them the love of Jesus with who we are and what we do with them. I think so many of us think that we have to go to Africa or a mission trip for that to happen but there are so many broken right here. There are people that we pass by everyday that need us to love them just as they are. To invest in their lives and just to listen to what their stories are. One of my favorites scriptures is...

Matthew 9:13 Jesus said, "Go and learn what this means, I desire mercy not sacrifice..." I love that we are to be a people of mercy. I just hope I can continue to learn what it means to put others ahead of myself and what that looks like daily.