Add Tools To Your Kit

“8 years. That’s the average length of time it takes someone to get to the field after they start making steps. I was told that when I was starting out, and it was true for me!”

These were the words of one person who discipled me, themselves a full-time worker sent to Ireland many years before. At the time I didn’t believe him. I was young yes, but I was zealous. I would happily go to the mission field as soon as I could. I couldn’t wait! I was sceptical of the 8 year number.

Funnily enough, that was about 8 years ago. Indeed, for us it was 8 years ago that we properly started taking steps to confirm and explore our calling, but it was a few more on top of that since we had the desire.

Personally, that desire never waned over time. I am aware that for many people the desire fluctuates, and the Lord works with them on that road. My wife can attest to that. However, that hasn’t been my experience. I will confess that over the past 8 years there have been several times where I have felt a sense of something akin to grief over not getting abroad soon enough. One notable time was following our time at Bible College. Our good friends who had accompanied us on that journey were in their current country of service in less than six months. We left Bible College almost three years ago. And yet here I am, writing from Ireland, albeit only for a couple of more months.

It would be easy to complain about taking longer than planned. But I cannot. The last 8 years have been indispensable in preparing us for what lies ahead.

When I started working as an aircraft mechanic, I didn’t own all the tools I needed. I had to borrow a lot for the first month. I spent most of my first paycheck on a quality set of tools that I was missing. And even as I worked for more years, sometimes there were tools that I needed to make or buy, needed only for one single job, or one single aircraft model. The job couldn’t be done without them.

As I look back over the last 8 years, where I would have loved to already have flown, I am very grateful that the Lord did not open that door. I’ll admit, I still do not feel ready for all the challenges of ministry abroad, but I cannot imagine trying to do it without the tools in my back pocket that the Lord has granted me until now. I’m sure there will be many more tools for specific situations that I will have to acquire and learn how to use. But to enter the minsitry without any tools for the main job at hand is not wise. And I’m glad the Lord slowed me down to make sure I found some of them first.

Here’s a wee list of where I found some of those tools that anyone can put in their box:

• Three years in the workplace. After the local church, nothing has formed me more radically than working as an aircraft engineer. From learning to do a job well unto the Lord, working hard even when no one is watching, to leading others, or learning to balance family, work and ministry in our church, there is a long list of things that I could only learn by getting knocked around in the arena of life. Especially in the very unsanctified environment that is engineering. All who hope to enter ministry should endeavour to get some bruises in the world of work that will stand them to good stead in the future.

• Having children. As any parent will tell you, having kids creates an exponential curve in learning responsibility and self-giving free of charge. Of course, not everyone is in a position to have this particular tool given them, but the Lord has a varied box for varied people! And all of us have a family. Families are demanding. It can be easy to pay little heed to serving them while we instead serve the church and community. Children force us into that zone of sacrificial, unrequited service, but even those without kids can be intentional about how we serve our (messy? difficult?) families.

• Going to Bible College. When I first wanted to get out on the foreign field, this was not a priority for me at all. I considered it somewhat a waste of time while I could be out there. Thankfully, through the counsel of many, and the Lord’s dealings with me, both my wife and I spent a year in Bible College. When we are dealing with souls we want precision in the Word. We want to know what we believe and (perhaps more importantly) why we believe it. We must know our way around the Bible with ease. We must learn to wield the Word as a scalpel rather than a butcher’s knife. Formal training is indispensable. Especially when we live in an age with so many options, many of which are flexible. For those aspiring to ministry (a noble desire), whether in general in their local church, or full-time at home or abroad, there is little reason why we cannot do something to prepare in this way. Whether it’s some stand-alone modules, some informal workshops we attend regularly, or taking a year or three to sit in a classroom and then work it out in practice.

• Developing wider horizons. Another benefit of Bible college was the wide-ranging exposure to other ministries. Not only has this provided us with invaluable contacts, and friends who will pray for us, but it has openend our eyes to possible ministries, or ways of doing things, that are different to the context that we serve in in Ireland. Of course this experience is possible outside of Bible college, but again requires intentionality of reaching outside our small networks into the larger networks around us.

• Entering full-time ministry in our local church. This was first mainly in an evangelistic role, but for the last two years I have also been one of the two elders serving here. Much could be said about the way this shapes us, but we can leave that for other posts. Suffice to say, learing to deal with people in that capacity is great training ground for overseas. As many have said, we don’t become missionaries by getting on an aeroplane. It starts in the local church. It doesn’t necessarily have to be full-time ministry, but making sure you are truly plugged in and serving in various capacities from preparing food to preparing messages.

There are many other things that formed me during that time of waiting, but those are some practical ones that anyone can pursue, should they desire to serve more fully at home or abroad. Others have been granted by being forced to go through difficult circumstances, or through the intentional discipleship and example of others. These things we have little control over. But there are some things that we do. And these we should seek to add to our kits.

Furthermore, having all the above tools means nothing unless we wield them well. I pray that I will ever learn from these experiences and put it into practice in the future. As we pack up our belongings, finally ready to go, I will be packing up some tools from my aircraft days, but more importantly some tools for ministry that I almost left without. I do not regret waiting at all, for each year, each month, the Lord has used to prepare both my wife and I for the job that lies ahead.

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” – 2 Timothy 2:15