good news / bad news

So - it's a little bit of both in mission trip land today.

Bad news is ... we've made the excruciating decision to forgo our July mission trip to Covington. With only two of us committed (one of 'us' being 'me'), and with painfully tight mission funds, it seemed the better part of stewardship to focus our resources on the already-growing group committing for the September journey to Gulfport.

This stresses me out for a lot of reasons:

1) "Oh! We want to do one of those trips! We want to be part of that with you! We don't know exactly how we can help, but we want to do something! If there's one in the summer, that would be perfect! We could even do it as a family!" Months, emails, newsletters, bulletins, slides, announcements, conversations later ... one. reply. in the affirmative.

2) That one reply? Was so absolutely committed to this, she had taken off work, talked to her husband, and emailed me saying "I'll go!" within 30 minutes of my message announcing the date. To have to then get in touch with her and say 'It just isn't fiscally responsible of us to put our mission fund to work getting "only" two of us down there' JUST. KILLED. ME.

3) Our church (denominational office) was counting on us being there. To have to call and say 'Uh, can't do it.' is ... painful.

4) I just hate it when stuff doesn't work out the way I want it to. Hey, if we're being honest, let's throw that one in, okay?

So what to do?

I realize that people, well, they have lives. I know that. I get that. Just because I would spend every moment doing this kind of work (if I could have figured out how to have the church keep paying my bills even if I never showed up, I'd have just STAYED after our first trip back in November!!) ... doesn't mean that it's reasonable or do-able for everyone (or anyone) else.

Mission work is excruciating. It's back-breaking and heart-breaking ... and bank-breaking, sometimes.

But it has to be done. Not because someone has us on the work calendar. Because 'someone' has us ON EARTH. We're here together. It's not unreasonable to think that at some point we will need something - it's not unreasonable to think that at some point we will have something to give. Both of those things are true. Part of 'we' is in need ... and the other part of 'we' needs to respond.

And we will ... of that I'm confident. (There's the good news.) People have schedule conflicts and work demands and family times that need to be honored ... without a doubt, without exception.

But people also have gifts to give and needs to meet and things to do that have NOTHING to do with them and EVERYTHING to do with being faithful.