(Update to “Who sent you?” dated 17 November 2015.)

“Who Sent You?” is a good question!  Frankly, I am not formally sent by any particular church or mission agency.  But none has told me not to go.  I have written to many agencies, but few have responded.  Meanwhile, I pray for wisdom, and act on that.

Currently, I consider “my church” to be the community in Spain where I work and worship when I am in Navarra.  But I can’t be there all the time, and I owe a lot to other groups, especially:

• Heartland Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana (1996-2014); and
• Family Worship Center near Syracuse, New York (1984-1995)

I’ll still visit them when in those locations (though the last time in Fort Wayne, I missed out due to illness).  When I visit family in Oklahoma, I alternate between my sister’s church and my parents’s church.

The few agencies I have communicated with have various expectations for training.  Being already 63 years old, I am a reluctant to spend much time preparing to do what I’ve already done.  I enjoy the story of Gladys Aylward, who also provided hospitality to travelers.  The China Inland Mission (one of the ones I contacted) told her not to go, but she used her savings to go anyway!

I don’t reject training, and in fact, even if you don’t have a “call” to missions, I highly recommend to you the class “Perspectives on the World-Wide Christian Movement” or to read a copy of its textbook.

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