...to follow Jesus.
Last December, I attended the Urbana Missions Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. Primarily, I was there to work as a missions mobilizer, but when I was not working, I got the opportunity to attend several different sessions of teaching and worship. One night, the focus of this time was the persecuted church. That night we sang the song "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus." However, it wasn't the normal, blissful, safe version I had grown up singing in church and in college. Nor was it the version I had sung in the deep selva (jungle) of Ecuador in English, Spanish, and Waorani with indigenous people. No, this version was in a different key and was sung in the context of a night learning about people in parts of the world who could literally die for speaking the name of Jesus or for deciding to follow Him. This version was sung out passionately in the name of people who, despite fear and danger and a million forces working against them, have decided to follow Christ.
This version convicted me so much of my safe, American Christianity. Had I ever REALLY realized at what cost some people decide to follow Jesus? The country I will be serving in starting this winter is Nicaragua, and while it is not a largely persecuted area, the decision to follow Jesus is still not necessarily "safe." Moving thousands of miles from home, giving up two years of my life, and following where He leads me isn't necessarily safe.
But it is so GOOD.
I am confident that where I am right now in this moment, about to embark on twelve intense weeks of raising two years worth of support, is exactly where the Lord is calling me to follow Him. I have decided to follow Jesus to Niacarugua. No turning back. No vuelvo atrás.