Part One of our new Missions Matter Series come back each week to find out more about serving those around your home and community as well as around the world. God has given us the power to be His witnesses! Start today…

By Heather Radu-

I have always loved the mission trip season at Dorie’s Promise Guatemala. The children enjoy all the new people, of course, but I am always amazed at the impact it has on our visitors. They come expecting to meet people who need their help, but many of them are stunned by the level of poverty. They leave with a much deeper sense of compassion than they had when they arrived.

Many of those visitors return to Guatemala to serve, but others do not. I wonder how many of them lose that sense of compassion as they go back to the routines of every day life. It’s easy to do! We each have our own responsibilities, after all. I also wonder if those people think, “I’ll get back to Guatemala City one day, so I can serve people the poor.”

But there is something that we always need to remember: you don’t have to get on an airplane to serve people in need. There is no need to travel thousands of miles. You probably don’t even have to leave town. There are people in need right now, right where you live.

Please don’t misunderstand me. We love seeing people come to Guatemala City. If you have the chance, please take it! However, if that is the only time you serve the poor, you are missing out. Jesus always encouraged his disciples to minister to the poor, and in Acts we see that the Church took him seriously. They provided help for those who needed it most.

Jesus was right when he said, “you will always have the poor with you” (Matt. 26:11). That means that even if you can’t make a trip to Guatemala City, you can still find ways to help those in need. Just look around your community. There are probably already ministries like shelters and soup kitchens that need volunteers. I guarantee there are children who would be just as glad to see your face as ours are at Dorie’s Promise.

I want to encourage each person reading this to take the time to find where you can serve. You might find out that there is actually no one helping the poor in your community. Then you should thank God because you have quite an opportunity.

You get to serve just like Jesus would right in your own hometown.