A Milestone

This week I passed a milestone of sorts. I received my third passport in the mail. That means that I have been travelling internationally for twenty years. I applied for my first passport in 1990 so I could go on a mission trip to Monterey, Mexico with Bill Mash to help with the construction of a medical clinic. That opportunity changed the trajectory of my life. As a boy I watched with eager anticipation when missionaries would come to church. They would have strange and exciting items on display; snake skins, masks, spears, and colorful robes and clothing. They would set up their slid projectors and show pictures of huts and dugout canoes surrounded by exotic and frightening looking people. I always loved looking at the maps but never had any idea that I could be involved in any way personally.

But that first 5 day trip to Mexico started me on a journey that I hope is far from over. God has allowed me to visit some 25 countries since then, and many countries I have visited multiple times. My travel started slowly, but in 2000 it really picked up steam. I spent two years travelling internationally at least once a month and staying gone more than half the time. My expired passports are a record of those travels. The entry and exit stamps and the colorful visa stickers form a tapestry of memories of excitement, anxiety, joy, aggravation, pain, fulfillment, victory and defeat. In short, they are a record of life. The old passports are worn, messy, and marked up. I love them. The new one is fresh and the pages are empty. It holds a promise of many more countries to see, many more missionaries to encourage and come alongside, much more work to do, many more hotels and homes to stay in, and many more local dishes to sample. For the first time in a long time I don't know where my next international adventure will take me as I wait for my next assignment from God. But if the Lord delays his coming and allows me to do so, I plan to take more people for their first view of world mission, come alongside more missionaries, sample more good food, share the Gospel with more people, sleep in more wierd places, fly to more new locations, and thank God everyday that I have been blessed to get to do it.