Two Missionaries -- One Mission

Missionary #1: Kristin

Kristin is married to my son Robert. In fact, the way they were introduced was by the Rev. Bill Strickland, her pastor at the time, as he pointed at Robert and said, "There's your man." Of course, he was speaking of the male chaperon she needed to accompany her and her youth group to Costa Rica that year and not the man she would marry. However, as God would have it, Bill was more prophetic than he knew and my son ended up fulfilling both of those positions.

But missions had been on Kristin's heart way before Robert entered the picture. As a youth pastor, she has ministered on numerous occasions with sometimes lengthy stays in Costa Rica and has led teams to Guatemala, Honduras, and Mississippi post Katrina, just to name a few. And today as I write, she and a team from her church in Marietta, GA are in Scotland holding a youth camp. They are not only spending long hours of the days and evenings with these teens through worship, fun and fellowship, they are praying mightily that these young men and women would encounter Jesus and grow in their love for Him; that they would be awakened and revival would come to their very spiritually dark land. Just this morning, I was able to tune into their midst through a live feed and actually watch Kristin on the other side of the world share her personal testimony with these campers and beckon them to a love relationship with Jesus that is real. A relationship she knows only too well herself; one that defines her as His beloved and He as hers. How proud I was and am of this little tiger who doesn't even stand five feet tall except when she's wearing her "big girl shoes" (meaning high heals). God knows that she's huge in the kingdom.

Missionary #2: Adrianne

Adrianne is married to our oldest child Charles. I was just plum tickled when they started dating because I was sure Charles would never get a woman after I witnessed him making her pay for her own cappuccino at a local coffee shop. He kept assuring me it wasn't a date. And she did confide later that she was still "attached" to another and that this was a just a "ministry" meeting. Yeah, right. Let's just say I couldn't enjoy my own non-fat decaf 2 pump sugar free caramel macchiato for the less than intelligent move on my son's part. But all's well that ends well, and here we are 3 years into a marriage. And what a treasure she is.

As far as I know, Adrianne has never left the country; but her role as missionary is not defined by acquired air miles or passport stamps. She ministers daily as an administrative assistant to the pastor of a vibrant church in Macon, GA. Nights often find her hosting a ladies' Bible study or holding a girls' small group in her home when she's not attending her husband's youth group meetings -- generally just filling the role of a young youth pastor's wife.

But lately Adrianne has added yet another role to her resume: that of caring for her mother who was diagnosed earlier this year with stage 4 cancer. Being an only child and her mother's only caretaker during this time, Adrianne has stepped in with a vigor and call that equals the work and duty of any missionary on any foreign soil. Each day after work, she drives the 20 miles home and then another 15 to cook and take care of her mom, seeing her in bed and settled before she returns home to her own chores and bed. To me she exemplifies John 15:13 which says, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friend."

I could not be more proud of my two daughters-in-love. Servants in the Lord's eyes and champions in mine. Two missionaries. Yet one mission: to be the hands, the feet and the heart of Jesus. He and I sure do love these girls.

Now tell me, where is God performing His miracle mission with you?

Just an ordinary moment...