Vietnam Report - March 27, 2011

It's good to be home How do you put into the words of the impact of a mission trip upon your life? The changes are often subtle and initially too deep for words. Time with tell, especially through small changes in thinking and behavior the effect of the trip. I experienced, however, a surprising revelation today as I served communion in our worship service this morning. What I experienced was an awareness of muscle memory, also known as motor learning, which is a form of precedural memory that involves consolidating a specific motor task into memory through repitition. When a movement is repeated over time, a long-term a long-term muscle memory is created for that task, eventually allowing it to be performed without conscious effort. This process decreases the need for attention and creates maximum efficiency within the motor and memory systems of the body. As a stooped down to look into people's eyes, who were kneeling at the communion rail, while I place into their hands the wafer that is received by faith as the body of Christ, I realized that his felt very familiar. It was the same posture, the same act of looking into the eyes, and the placing into the hands toothbrushes into the hands of Vietnamese children and aged adults, who had been forgotten, neglected, abandoned, or marginalized by society. The solemn and reverent act of handing out toothbrushes with love, kindness, and compassion was connected with the sacred and holy. My spiritual act of worship, loving the Lord whole-heartedly, was through performing the act of handing out toothbrushes in most loving way I could imagine to the glory of God. This is what the Apostle Paul refers to in 2 Corinthians 4 when he writes: "We proclaim not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkeness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpasing power belongs to God and not to us." God often works in hidden ways to reveal himself and his glory. The ultimate expression of his love was the gift of his Son, Jesus, who also in a hidden way, through his death on the cross, reconciled the world to the Father, through his atoning sacrifice and resurrection. As God's children, marked and sealed in Christ by the Holy Spirit, we show Christ to the world as he is hidden in our daily lives and common tasks. We are all ambassadors of God's love to the nations and peoples of the world through diverse means, whether it be teaching hygiene, giving medical exams, performing dental work, or fixing electrical problems. All human interaction is a profound moment to embody and reveal Christ's love in word and deed. What I realized today is that the act of handing out toothbrushes, in Christ's name (not spoken, but embodied through action) can be as profound and pleasing to God as distributing bread and wine as a pastor. Both are an act of spiritual worship and both are to God's glory. Thanks to all of you who prayed for us. Your steadfastness in prayer was a tremendous encouragement to us on the team, and, who knows the hidden effect and lasting impact of those prayers. P. Jeff