Where is the mission field?

(this particular service opportunity was hard work but very fulfilling!)

Where is the mission field?

We have all probably seen or know of a missionary family.  We may even support them financially.  These folks leave the comforts of home behind to travel to far off lands to serve in the name of Christ and share the good news of the Gospel. My respect for these families knows no bounds. What they do is heroic and critically important to the kingdom.  Groups like the YMCA and Habitat for Humanity internationally do transformational work as well, serving the needs of struggling communities in places like South America and Africa.

“I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy” – Psalm 140:12

Not every needy person or community exists outside the United States though. A couple weeks ago at the annual NAYDO conference a group of Y folks spent a day serving at the Hazelwood YMCA.   This Y has no gym and no pool and instead serves the substantial needs of its community for food, after school care and other basic human needs.  It's right in the heart of Pittsburgh.  We painted rooms and improved the urban gardens that provide the only fresh produce available in this “food desert”.

There are undoubtedly similar situations in the town where you live. Find them.  Join them.  Serve them.  You may find your own mission field right in your backyard.

Thanks for all you do.

Brian

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Volume 6, Number 40