My wife, 11-year-old daughter, 8-year-old son and I began exploring missions as a family last year. Having previously served with Youth With A Mission, the core values of ‘To Know God’ and ‘To Make Him Known’ resonate deeply with me. Embarking on a mission trip felt like a natural extension of these values.
Last November, we joined the Short-Term Missions trip (STM trip) to Kolkata and Mumbai for 10 days. While my wife and I went on previous mission trips to India, it marked the first ever mission trip for our children. Despite common concerns about safety, hygiene and some objection from my in-laws, we placed our trust and assurance in God’s leading. We reminded our children not to compare India with Singapore and to treat it as an adventure. The children were not bothered by the dirt, dust or smells. We are so thankful they recognised the humanity of the people as preciously made in God’s image, and everyone’s need for Jesus.
Throughout our journey, each family member encountered God uniquely. My son enthusiastically became chief balloon sculptor and got along so well with everyone wherever he went that many field workers asked him to stay behind. As for my daughter, her passion for teaching saw her joyfully assisting the children’s ministry programmes. My wife shared a testimonial that God had put on her heart months before the trip which moved many mothers in the slum ministry. I was challenged to rely completely on God to deliver a last-minute message for the ministry to the blind, which was totally an unfamiliar area to me.
From young, we have intentionally instilled in our kids a heart for migrant workers and those forgotten, downtrodden or invisible class in society. But on this trip, they caught a glimpse of God’s heartbeat for the lost in nations out there! We are confident this trip has planted seeds of passion in our children’s hearts for knowing God deeper and sharing His love. We pray that missions will become an integral part of our family’s identity, and we look forward to serve as a family again.
I strongly encourage families to embark on missions together. As we strive towards becoming a missional church, let us begin by becoming missional families. Regardless of our age, experience, comfort level and time availability, if we are willing, God can use and will equip us in remarkable ways. “He is ‘able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think’.” (Ephesians 3:20)