Not Your Average Sight Seeing

A few samplings of Urban Missionary Life

Everyone is kind in New England, not simply nice.

When we first visited Massachusetts 8 years ago, one thing stood out to me the most- the people here are incredibly kind. Not just nice, but so kind. They demonstrate true compassion. By definition, compassion means to see a need and physically do something about it. The people in Massachusetts don't just offer a gesture, but rather put feet to the need the see before them.

For example- when we visited, my daughter and I had no clue public bathrooms were nearly non existent in the city. (Something to note should you ever visit here!)

At the T station we searched in vain to no avail. We asked a worker if he knew where we'd find some form of a bathroom and he began to sort of show us with spoken directions, then thought better of it, got up, walked us completely to the other side of the train station and escorted us in. This happened again in front of TD Garden a few days later and again, yesterday with my littlest and I at a local farm. The local farm experience re-reminded me of the extravagant kindness expressed here. The gentleman from yesterday was in the middle of doing something for his job, stopped what he was doing, and led us to the back of the store and darn near into the women's bathroom. He wanted to be sure we didn't get lost.

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While this may seem like a no big deal to most folks, to me it's a tangible demonstration of the care our God has for us as His kids, but also such a sweet reminder that these people are just so lovely and worthy of someone leaving everything they know, their security, their whole lives and coming to live here just to let them know about the God they are beautifully demonstrating without even knowing Him. You know?

You see, for most of my calling to the Northeast, when I mention it to literally anyone I am rarely met with, "oh what a wonderful place to be called to!" and usually a "oh how awful!! Who's want to live there! the people are just terrible!". Of course when we first came I was visibly shocked when the folks were delightful.

It's a shame really, how the rest of the nation speaks about this land & these people. It's a shame that more believers don't bless the land and the people with their words, after all, so goes Boston, so goes the nation. -John Winthrop (paraphrased) 

Boston is a high tourist town, for stating the obvious and I absolutely enjoy going to the usual tourist haunts because there are locals who work there. They are typically much more open to share their story because they'll ask where we're from, I tell them we've just moved back and all of a sudden it's old home week. Swapping stories of covid experiences, sharing laments about cost of living and of course, discussing our mutual love for the state, the winter and summer weather.

You see, I have always been a missionary from the time I said yes to Jesus. My hair chair was my mission field and my clients were my outreach. I mostly prayed over them as I cut their hair, listen to their woes of children, husbands and work issues. All the while I prayed they'd see Jesus as He truly is, that they'd receive the love He keeps trying to show them. As I have embraced the whole "missionary" thing now as an actual vocation, it makes sense that the way I do missions is no different. I don't pass out tracts or bring up discussions about Jesus. I ask do they love their job? Where do they live? How many siblings they have? Passions? Things they are riled about etc.

Many missionaries get jobs in the cities they're called to but that is incredibly limiting. You only see one group of folks. Getting out in the public, with all the masses and their messiness affords me the opportunity to see the state and its spiritual climate with a much broader view. I get this idea from the old missionaries, the ones who've created massive impacts on our world- Mueller, Livingston, Carmichael, Trasher, Aylward etc. All of these saints before me have been tutors, so to speak about faith, living a life fully committed to His work and loving on the most unlovable people.

Years ago when someone came to visit Mark and I in Mass, after touring the city for a week and living the local life, the husband said, "there are no people on earth more suited to being called to Boston than you guys." At the time I didn't quite get why he said that or what he saw in us. But I see it now. I see how within minutes I have made a forever friend with the Taza tour guides after bonding over a shared birthday and Germany as kids experience. Or with the curator of the Minutemen National Park Old Manse house, and our mutual love for religious history on this land. Or with hearing someone's story about having drawn demons as a child, having their parents freak out and now resigns himself to doodling while at work. Because of the love of our Father, I am able to see the incredible talent of a man who was simply tormented as a kid and needs someone to set him free so he is able to draw, paint and create for his King someday.

Because I am not a legal resident yet of Massachusetts, the Lord has not given me permission to do any significant praying over the land. I am in the information gathering phase of ministry. But I do pray as I walk, "Abba, You say that everywhere I set my feet, You have given me this land". And so, I simply declare that someday, this land and its people will be His once again.

One thing I was reminded of today is the enormous amount of blood that's been shed on this land through diseases the colonists brought, the wars and battles dotted around the area and of course- abortion in more recently decades.

There is a lot of work to be done in this land, but for now, I am patient and prayerful. I have my walking shoes ready and am taking the kids around the city, posting out various things to note, pray about and hear their thoughts. To receive email updates, please click the button below.

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