One of the biggest blessings of being a missionary has been the opportunity to work with a team. In Chía I worked with José Alonso and several other men from the church, and here in Santa Marta we’re working with the Carter and Medina families.
As a team we’ve been meeting together on Sunday mornings to encourage each other in love and good works. (Note: We’re not planning to launch public services for a while until we’ve seen the salvation of some new people and been able to form several home groups… we don’t want to just pull people from already established churches.) Today we celebrated Communion together as a ministry team for the first time. We were able to use one large loaf of bread, which I think symbolizes well the unity that we see taught in 1 Cor. 10:17 where Paul talks about how we are “one body.” We’ve grown together in unity because we’ve worked closely together and already had to deal with different difficulties and setbacks together. Our goal has not been to “do church” but rather grow together as a community of believers committed to and centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Working on a team both challenges and strengthens each of us. We each bring different perspectives to the table and can point out different weaknesses we see. We can help to build each other up. We also can freely admit (if the gospel is central) our struggles and weaknesses. How sad it would be to work alone and only be able to reach as far as one’s limitations would allow him! I praise God that my coworkers and I complement each other well.
For example, two weeks ago we invited people to our first Grupo de Impacto (Impact Grupo). If Holly and I had been the only people inviting we would have had an attendance of about 5 people. Working as a team we saw 19 adults and 8 children show up. Alone we would have been intimidated. Together we felt strong in Christ.
These are just a few of the many blessings of working on a team. I would encourage each of you to look around you for a new teammate. Pray that God would help you find them! Don’t force it because you’ll make a mistake, but prayerfully look for people you can work with together for the cause of the gospel.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I appreciate your post on Blessings on being a Missionary. It gives me greater insight on your philosophy of missions and to you as a person. Prayer letters are good, but don’t seem to give the full picture. We at 1st Baptist,New Ulm, Minnesota are praying for you and have your prayer letters summarized in the church bulletin.
Hi Wayne,
Thanks so much for your comment. Yes, prayer letters are not adequate, but that’s why we try to supplement them with our website and Facebook. Thanks for your prayers!