What I do

Posted on January 31, 2008
Filed Under Faith |

Mae Sot seems to attract a wonderfully varied mix of travelers, volunteers and would-be do-gooders.

Over dinner the other night at a local restaurant, I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation at the table next to me. It was a group of Westerners, and their local Karen hosts. They were discussing the project they had been working on for the past week. From what I could make out, it was some kind of teacher training project.

There seems to be no end of worthwhile projects going on around Mae Sot, from teacher training, to children’s homes to various film and video projects. Many of them sound like exciting work. In contrast, my life can seem quite dull.

There used to be a time when it felt somewhat strange to introduce myself as a missionary and while I’ve gotten over the novelty, I did still sometimes hesitate, not sure how people will react.

Typically, once they’ve recovered from their stunned silence, their first question is “And, what exactly do you do?”

I imagine for many non-Christians, contemporary missions work is an alien and unfamiliar field. They still imagine missionaries from two hundred years ago, trying to tame the savages by converting them to Christianity.

Instead, I just mutter about how I work with several local ministries. Then, as if trying to justify my worthless existence on the same plane on which they are doing so much good, I start listing the projects I’m working on, Karen Alpha, the children’s home etc etc.

But, the other night, it struck me, I’m not doing these things to feel good about myself, or at least I shouldn’t be. That’s not Grace.

Instead, I do these things because this is the work I’m called to do.

Then, I was struck by another thought: I get to share the love of God. HOW COOL IS THAT?

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