[:en]
by Jacque Pono
I always feel happy and light-hearted when I sing or listen to worship songs. There’s just a special feeling right after expressing myself through music and lyric, and praising the Lord for His love. Right before the trip to Palawan, I have learned the word living sacrifice in the Bible.
Romans 12:1 (ESV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
In short, there is a different kind of worship other than singing and attending Sunday Service: the true and proper one. Never have I imagined that God will use our mission to Palawan to explain and instill in me the power of the verse.
The journey was as much as physical as it is spiritual. Five hours of trekking during the hot May summer, crossing rivers 32 times with only the sound of our footsteps as company. I could only think of the fatigue, the thirst, the ache on my foot, and heaviness of the bag on my back. Yet I discovered that when your body tries to tell you to stop, something tells you to take another step towards your destination.
It was then that I remembered the 40% Rule: the Navy SEALs’ secret to mental toughness. It states that when your body has reached its limit, that known limit is only 40%. You haven’t really used up the rest of the 60%.
Thus, I wonder, where does the rest of the 60% come from?
I searched inside myself and asked this question: what keeps me going in this situation? As I continued the trek thinking that I have reached my limit, a slow realization dawned on me. I can push through because I know my purpose.
I realized it was that voice that kept telling me to continue until I complete the journey. Right then, I concluded that reaching your physical limits can make you focus on mental strength. And perhaps, I thought to myself, in this journey the spiritual is being tapped as well when I drew strength from these verses: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2 (ESV)
What we experienced was just a hint of a taste of a missionary’s life. It was a small portion, but it tasted bittersweet. We were out of our comfort zones, literally having to let go of the familiar set-up of city life and all it entails. We were visitors meant to share and teach, but the journey turned out to be a meaningful lesson for us instead.
I can truly see why mission work is a transformative one that entails drawing on spiritual reserves to overcome any challenges. And of course, the heart of that abundant reserve is God Himself who graciously supplies the 60% and beyond.
Missionaries will often tell us of the lives they’ve touched. But they can never fully describe the exceptional feeling of being able to do the will of God in the most critical of tribulations. You really have to become a missionary to fully experience it. Their lives are indeed the perfect example of living sacrifices, who worship the Lord through the work of their hands, through the strong faith they build and hold on to each day.
The most beautiful thing I discovered during the trip was that each day transforms itself into a blessing. Be it the basic provisions or the realization of plans, everything is dependent on God’s grace. We were well-fed, well-sheltered, and thoroughly made to feel the simplicity of living in order to ultimately experience what it means to do mission work in a far-away place.
The experience helped me appreciate the simple things in life. Everything just becomes short of a miracle when you look at it. The cool rainy nights, the soothing currents of the river, the stories shared during the abundant healthy dinner, the laughter of small children, the warm eyes and smiles as we started conversations: all of it are intangible yet lasting. Even the struggle of speaking a common language becomes a worthwhile task as we focus on God’s Word and His ministry.
Most of all, I truly admire the attitude of missionaries like Pastor Jo and Pastor Philip who graciously hosted us during this trip. They really have a different kind of faith compared to others since theirs is continually put to the test. They have to depend on God in practically everything.
Just imagine trusting God to lead you to a foreign land to make a difference in the lives of people who do not speak the same language and grew up in a different culture. I cannot imagine myself in this situation; yet, these wonderful people and missionaries did it. They took on the challenge because they knew what God whispered in their hearts. It’s complete abandon to everything they’ve ever known because they know their reward at the end of the journey.
The ultimate goal is to realize God’s greatest commandments: loving the Lord with all your strength, heart, and soul, and loving your neighbors as you love yourself. Both are beautifully realized in the mission work: loving God is obeying Him and loving your neighbors equates to sharing the good news of Salvation to the unbelievers.
The latter is also strongly connected to the Great Commission entrusted to us. The living sacrifice that the missionaries are exemplifying are definitely proof that God’s love sustains whoever, whenever, wherever.
After this fulfilling journey, the dominant feeling I felt was humility. How can I humble myself in order to prioritize God in my life? Am I willing to permanently live out of my comfort zone to obey Him?
Well the rest is up to me, I guess. I encountered Jesus in this trip and He challenged me to be a living sacrifice.
Challenge accepted.[:]