Are your Kids getting left out of Missions?
“Most things are caught, not taught.” His statement accomplished exactly what he intended. Questions began to flood my mind if there really was a different way to lead the family. Maybe there is more to family devotion then scripture reading, prayer, and praising God. Maybe God has a different plan for the gospel family. Maybe the gospel family doesn’t just teach the Great Commission, but they catch the Great Commission.
Jesus’ command for each and every follower of Christ is to fish for people as we see in Luke 5 with his interaction with Simon. He takes this command a step further when he commissions His disciples to all nations in Matthew 28: 19. As a leader in a Christ-following household, this command should be at the forefront of every decision that is made in terms of family ministry. A gospel family looks at this Great Commission not as a suggestion for the family, but as mandate from the Son of God.
God interrupted our lives in the summer of 2012 when my wife and I had the opportunity to join a team to Gdansk, Poland for nine days. We loved the idea of serving our brothers and sisters while the kids stayed in the comfort of grandma’s home. Taking children along was never an option. They would just get in the way. God’s work couldn’t be accomplished with a three and six year old tagging along. We saw amazing things that week in Poland. God moved in miraculous ways through divine appointments, through a gospel concert, through street ministry.
One day we found ourselves sharing the love of Christ on a playground, but we were missing something. We were missing our kids for the playground. God began to soften our heart, and open our eyes to the possibility of serving together as a family. We immediately started laying the ground work for a return trip, but this time, no one would be left behind at grandmas.
Questions began to stockpile in the months leading up to departure. The kids were at the center of every prayer request. How would they sleep with only four hours of darkness? Will the language barrier cause stress? What will we do without a car? Obedience was difficult, but God was faithful through it all. With questions and fears still heavy on our heart, we set out across the ocean.
Immediately, we saw how ridiculous our fears were. The children loved their new “home.” They loved their new friends. They loved living the mission with their parents. They now looked at the Great Commission in a totally different light. Two young Polish girls, Sophialorena and Melissa, found their way to the church plant one Sunday morning with their parents. Within minutes, our children and these children were best friends, and our two families will now forever be connected. We had our idea of what missions should look like. God humbled those human plans and allowed our children to open doors we could never open ourselves.
The family mission is not complete when we leave someone out. The family mission occurs when each member can see God working simultaneously in each other and for His kingdom.
Conversations at our dinner table will never be the same. Not a day passes where we don’t recall the movement of God in Poland and the missionaries that have sacrificed so much to proclaim the Gospel in Gdansk. Family missions are now a part of our life.
By the grace of God, our second family mission will take place this summer. God has opened the door for opportunities in Singapore, Cambodia, and Poland. I believe our children are catching the Great Commission.
Family missions will look different for each family. As a teacher, I have two months off during the summer. Family missions do not have to be a two month trip. Family missions can be an afternoon serving together in a local setting. Family missions can be a day or a week serving the Lord. There is no requirement of time, location, or responsibility. It is all about obedience to Christ and the calling he has on your gospel family.
My only prayer is that when missions are discussed at your dinner table, you won’t leave anyone out.
Michael Holmquist is a husband, father of two, school teacher, and missionary, who leads his family each summer to leave Houston, Texas in order to live the mission together in Gdansk, Poland.
