One of Team Expansion’s great passions is “Effective Communication.” So here’s a chance for you to hear about missions – straight from our workers!
We sent a survey to Team Expansion’s workers asking them to weigh in on some pretty important matters, like their favorite movie.
Remember, “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.” Missionaries aren’t super Christians who have figured out how to walk in total holiness. They struggle with the same issues as every other Believer, and like any other Christian, they rest in God’s grace and ability to work through their weaknesses.
As you read these questions and the missionary answers, maybe you can relate!
When I’m not in the States, the food I miss most is:
Chick-fil-a | U.S. breakfast foods | Cheese | Flautas, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Enchiladas, Salsa with corn torillas, Tex-Mex, Taco Bell | Hardee’s Frisco Melt | Ice
cream | Cheeseburgers | Pulled pork BBQ | Peanut Butter | Deer roast | Dr. Pepper | Healthy vegetarian protein shake | Salads | Arby’s | Steak | Fresh seafood | Cinnamon rolls
Even when I love it here, I’ll never get used to:
Sand from the desert | My small washing machine and no dryer | People cutting in line | Sorting trash into 18 categories | The treatment of women | People driving on the sidewalk, traffic, terrible parking | Narrow roads | Trash everywhere | Rice for breakfast | Being viewed as wealthy | Traffic jams | Postal/customs system | Super tight jeans for men | Muslim call to prayer | Inefficiency | Late night dinner time | Unsolicited advice | Indirect communication | Noise | Always being a foreigner | Government corruption | Cold in my house from tile floors and concrete walls | Never feeling finished
I know God is gracious to me because:
He continues to allow me to serve Him. | God lets us be a part of His amazing plan even when we aren’t qualified or deserving. | Despite our incompetence in language and culture, people still want to hang out with us! | He has blessed me with encouraging sisters-in-Christ who understand me and continually point me back to Him. | I have another day of life to live and another chance to reflect His glory. | With His grace, I am lost. | God always listens to my heart and loves me anyway. | Even on days when I don’t feel like I have the strength or desire to love those around me, God shows me His love in extravagant and evident ways and gives me the strength to accept and share it. | He has brought us back to a place we love. | He has provided people to be a family to us on the field and in the States. | Jesus died for me and is letting me share His New Covenant with other lost sinners. | I am able to understand people in their language and they understand me. | I have everything I need (even though I am not always kind, gracious, or grateful). | He puts up with all my junk. | His strength is made perfect in our weakness, which is a lot of the time. | We receive protection because of our faithful prayer partners. | He gave me the perfect teammate with whom I get to share this adventure.
I get really nerdy about:
Harry Potter | Costume making | Idioms in other languages | Middle Eastern history | Destiny on Xbox One | Star Wars | Algebra 2 | Speaking, writing, or reading another language | MST3K | Lord of the Rings | Chronicles of Narnia | Organizing food on the grocery belt | Bible software | Strategy board games | Talk about major life changes | Planning and tour-guiding for visitors | Astronomy or chemistry | A free Saturday | Batman | The Old Testament | Cooking a new dish | Deadlines | VPN service updates | Monty Python
The most dreaded chore in my house is:
Hanging clothes to dry | Cleaning bathrooms | Killing the ant nests in our house | Dusting | Washing dishes | Cleaning the floors | Ironing | Folding clothes |
Finding and killing the mouse/rat that got in | Cleaning out the fridge | Fixing the internet | Lighting the gas stove | Cleaning under and behind big things | Taking nasty food scraps out | Killing hundreds of mosquitoes nightly | Bringing in firewood | Organizing the mail | Fixing the plumbing | Sorting receipts
My stress-relief involves:
Sleeping | Watching TV | Eating in quaint little restaurants | Getting a massage | The beach | Hot tea | Very long runs | Reading a good book | Cleaning out my inbox | Eating pizza | Chocolate chip cookies | Watching movies | Lifting weights | Video games | Remodeling things in the house | Being outside | Baking/cooking | Gardening | Ps4 | Silence | Expressing gratitude | National parks | Biking | Computer design | Laughter | Time with family | Comic Books | Music
My all-time favorite movie is:
Sound of Music | Hoosiers | The Lion King | The Incredibles | Bridesmaids | Transformers | That Thing You Do! | The Pelican Brief | The Man Who Knew Too Little | The Princess Bride | Multiplicity | You’ve Got Mail | Second Hand Lions | Star Wars | Driving Miss Daisy | Gladiator | Anne of Green Gables/Avonlea | Emma | Pride & Prejudice | The Lord of the Rings Trilogy | North & South | Rudy | World War Z | Always the next Batman movie | Shawshank Redemption | It’s a Wonderful Life | Chariots of Fire | Tombstone
I really love it when:
I can have some special family time. | Someone can make me laugh really, really hard. | I get to hang out with my friends and family and talk about important things going on in our lives. | I don’t have to cook, yet tasty food appears. | I get REAL letters or cards in the mail! | People are willing to open up to me and talk about spiritual things. | I get a package in the mail and there are rice crispy treats inside. | Friends reply to my newsletters or let me know they’re thinking of me. | I find a connection point with the people here. | I have the opportunity to really share about Jesus. | Date night. | Someone sends something with chocolate and peanut butter. | When my husband takes my hand in the car. | I see that look in a person’s eyes that has just realized how much God loves them.
The sun shines. | I go hiking or laugh with a good show or movie. | My boys run into my arms. | One of my local friends has a dream or vision of Jesus. | My husband makes me laugh. | I learn a brand new amazing worship song. | I can sit outside in the early morning coolness, watch the sun rise, and read His Word at the same time. | A hot cup of coffee. | The chores are done, there is a nice rain falling, and my wife is content. | I can sleep in. | My kids call. | We hear that a prayer partner prays for us daily. | My internet works for more than an hour a day. | I get to see God at work in people’s lives.
