Picture a Discovery Team..

Twelve people, from coast to coast and in between:  Waylon, Dale, Sam, Tom, and Angela J. from Nebraska;  Dave Ron, and Bob from northern Indiana;  Shane and John from southern Indiana;  Hugh from Oregon, and me.  I had met two of them, talked to two others on the phone.  Of the twelve, two had been on mission trips before, one other had been out of the country, and only I had been to Thailand.  From a farmer to a banker, pilot to pastor and vocations in between, there were a variety of gifts and talents represented. Why was this group called together?  They had a heart for mission, a passion for people, and a desire to help. They understood that around the world, children die every minute from preventable illnesses, many times contracted by the infected water they drink.  Women spend up to four hours a day hauling heavy containers of water from a stream several kilometers away from their village.  Crops die because there is no available water except in the rainy season.  Clean, running water will improve health, living conditions, and agriculture in the village.  Not only were we going to help bring water to a village, but we were also going to be the face of Christ to the villagers.  We were going to live and work side by side with the villagers, walking in their flip flops, showing them that folks from half way around the world care about them.

As always, these trips are not just about what we can bring to the experience, but also what we can learn about another culture and about ourselves.  To prepare the team, I told them that we would be living with families in the village, two to a home.  All I could tell the team about conditions is that they could expect an extremely rural lifestyle:  We would sleep on the floor; eat what was cooked, caught, or killed for us; showers would be cold and from a bucket or in the river until the water is run to the village.  Expect no electricity, very little privacy, language barriers, shy people, and hard work.  We would not have cement mixers, power tools, or welding torches.  Everything will be done by hand with very primitive tools.  Our laundry would be done by villagers, most likely in the river.  We’d share our sleeping space with the family as well as assorted bugs, rodents, and pets.  Most of all, expect to leave a chunk of your heart in the village, because they would fall in love with the people, especially the children.

Some of the expectations were met, some exceeded, and sometimes we were pleasantly surprised....like having a few hours of electricity every night at the meeting table.

Each Discovery Team is unique-the composition of the team, the ministry, the location, and the heart.  What they all have in common is each person's desire to serve Christ through volunteer missionary service. It's interesting to see how God works in these teams.  It was amazing to see how God worked in this one in Thailand. 

If you have been on a Discovery Team, you can relate to some or all of this little piece of the Thailand story. You may even be smiling right now, remembering your teammates, your experience, or even your first shower once you got back home.  However you look at it, I'm guessing that it was a life changing experience in some way. 

Discovery Teams.  Discover what God is doing around the world.  Discover your missionaries.  Discover something new about yourself.

Discover what it is like to walk in someone's shoes.