Day 14: Our Two Smallest Missionaries

Most of you know this is our second time bringing our family to Mozambique.  Before our first trip, Amanda and I prayed long and hard about whether bringing Ada (at the time 7)  and Hezekiah (at the time 2) was the right decision. There were two things that gave us peace.

The first was watching the Soares family.

If you know the Soareses, you know that missions isn't simply something they support. It's woven into the fabric of who they are. Their children have grown up seeing the nations, serving alongside their parents, and loving people from every corner of the world. That kind of example challenged us. We don't just want to teach our children about missions. We want them to experience it.

The second came through a conversation with a friend of mine who is now a pastor. He told me that one of his earliest memories was being on the mission field with his parents in Egypt.

I don't know what my children will say is their earliest memories years from now. But, I hope somewhere in that collection of memories are dusty village roads, joyful worship, the smiles of Mozambican children who speak a different language than them, and the reminder that we all play an active role in seeing the gospel go to every corner of the world.

But, that doesn't mean bringing children on a mission trip is simple.

We have been incredibly blessed on both this trip and our last to have family members traveling with us. Last trip my mom, brother-in-law, two of my sisters, one of my brothers, Claudia Soares, and many others were all on the trip and they  stepped in countless times whenever there were the normal moments that every child thier ages have.

This year's team has been equally unbelievable.

The old saying is true: It takes a village to raise a child.

I'll add something else: It takes an entire mission team to bring a child across the world.

None of this would have been possible without the people God placed around us.

But above everyone else on the team, I have to thank my incredible wife.

I asked Amanda if she'd like to write something herself, but she told me I could write on her behalf.

If you've ever flown with young children, you already know what that meant for her. Because, while I carried much of the responsibility of leading our team, she quietly carried much of the responsibility of caring for our family. She sacrificed moments of rest. She sacrificed opportunities to simply enjoy the experience. She sacrificed the freedom to be fully present in every ministry opportunity because she was faithfully present where our children needed her most.

So, if it takes a village to raise a child, and it takes an entire mission team to bring children across the world, it takes a mother like Amanda to make the trip a success!

As we begin wrapping up this trip, I don't know what lasting impact these experiences will have on Ada and Hezekiah. Only time will tell. But I do know this. The seeds have been planted.

Whether those seeds bear fruit next year or twenty years from now is ultimately in God's hands, but the seeds have been planted.  And as their dad, I couldn't be more proud.

Okay, that's enough from me.   The best way to end today's post isn't with more of my words. It's with theirs.

On this trip, almost every member of our team has had the opportunity to share their perspective through these blog posts, but there were two little voices that never got the chance.

So I handed them my phone, opened the voice memos app and asked them to tell everyone about their trip.

What follows is an unedited transcription of exactly what they said.

Enjoy.