The Common Denominator

I heard a news report yesterday on one of the Christian Broadcast stations that because of the downturn in our economy that more of the church body is choosing NOT to go on mission trips. I would like to refute this!
I can contest as the Executive Director of Visiting Orphans that this is simply not true! Our agency is sending out four times the number of short term missionaries in the year 2010 than any previous year. Yes, there may a few other factors to take into this growth, but the growth would not happen if God's children simply were not choosing to put their faith in God and visit orphans all over this world.

I personally believe that this larger unemployment rate is opening up more energy and time in peoples lives to go on trips and serve. It's also causing people to be more desperate and question what try doing with their lives and time, wondering what their purpose is. They are realizing what life is all about and it's not about material things, but serving others. Then, they go and visit Haiti or China or Africa and return with a new sense of destiny and perspective on what's truly important in life.

But it's also the folks who still have their careers and full time jobs who are choosing to GO. The church is truly becoming more compassionate and aware and BRAVE! They want LIFE. They don't want to be lulled to sleep anymore by their consumeristic culture. And last but not least they are putting more faith in Gods finances and not their own to get them to the mission field. Where is that bigger faith coming from? Maybe it's coming out of truly wanting to experience God and take Him at His word...Maybe people are wanting to seek more Truth and think they can find it on the other side of the world...I don't know. That's a good poll for us to take. I do know this, there is one simple common factor, they all just want to go and love orphans. They are "getting it" as we say at VO. Some how awareness is spreading and Gods people are listening and hearing and responding.

So I refute that false news report! Wonder where they are getting their information...truly now from us....