By: Obed Pineda
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it – lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’” (Luke 14:28-30)
Passport? Check. Toothbrush and toothpaste? Check. Pants and shirts? Check. Deodorant? Check. Socks? Check. Underwear? Check. Enough Underwear???? Triple check; better to have more than less. As I prepared for my trip to Arequipa, Peru (checking and rechecking my luggage to insure that I am not missing anything) a few realizations sprout from the depths of my subconscious. 1) I have never traveled to Peru before. 2) Peru will be the very first country I visit on the South American continent. 3) This is the first time I have even heard of Arequipa. 4) I have never been on a mission trip before. Finally, 5) I will be working side by side with a group of brethren I have never met before. Needless to say that I did not know exactly what to expect considering the many firsts that came along with this trip. Yet, there was one thing I was sure of and it was what I kept my mind firmly focused on to keep the nerves at bay: the purpose of this trip. Whenever doubt wanted to creep in, attempting to weaken my resolve, I recalled the Master’s warning, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). In other words, my companions and I had made the decision to travel 3,629 miles from home to go and work in the vineyard of our Lord Jesus Christ in that region, and thus it was imperative that we keep our commitment to God (cf. Matthew 5:33-37, James 5:12). I would quell these thoughts of uncertainty flashing on the screen of my minds’s eye by reminding myself that I (to the best of my ability) had counted the cost prior to agreeing to take on this vital assignment. Due to the importance of this project, it is irrefutable that making it out of pure emotion (i.e. the excitement tied to the thought of traveling to an exotic country) was to guarantee failure. Hence the reason it was crucial to continuously summon into my mind that I sought to emulate the mindset of our Savior who once asked, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business” (Luke 2:49b)? Looking back at that day when I was preparing my bags for the trip, I now understand that I needed to prepare much more than just my luggage if I was to be a faithful steward of my Father’s business (cf. 1st Peter 4:10-11). Mental, emotional, physical, and (above all) spiritual preparation were essential if I was going to be fruitful in the Kingdom. It is true that due to the shadow of the unknown cast by the many “firsts” for me on this occasion, I found myself having to answer the following inquiry: How can one prepare for the unexpected? Holy Writ responds, “prepare your outside work, make it fit for yourself in the field; and afterward build your house” (Proverbs 24:27). The inspired Solomon illustrates with this proverb the precious value of forethought. Forethought is defined as “advance deliberation, consideration, or planning” (The American Heritage Dictionary, pp. 335). However, if one is to wisely deliberate in advance what may or may not be needed, one must have some understanding of the journey that has been chosen to trek. Observe how the proverb reveals that the purpose for preparing the outside is because the goal is to build a house. Although the builder may not know all of the challenges the field may have when it comes to clearing and preparing it, his objective remains the same. Thus, his focus is on his target and begins to accumulate everything that is necessary to successfully build the house. This also proves that one must first be mentally prepared with proper understanding of the work that one will be engaging in. Allowing emotions to cloud reason will dangerously lead a person astray. Having the knowledge of what my purpose for traveling to Peru granted me the ability to wisely consider what I required to be ready for the unexpected. I was now enabled to anticipate probable outcomes that could transpire throughout the course of this mission trip, and prepare adequately. Never losing sight that my goal for traveling to South America was a spiritual one, prayer and meditation increased tremendously in my daily life. It would be naive to even suggest that I was not nervous about taking on this major task of spreading the seed of the Gospel to the lost. This was especially true every time I was reminded that I would be working closely together with men and women whom I had never met before in my life. A recurring thought that often threatened my peace of mind was whether these people my family and I would be working with were sound in the faith or not. Once again, when these moments of fear gripped my heart, I brought to memory the words of the inspired, beloved physician who wrote about a certain time when Jesus, “spoke a parable to [His disciples], that men always ought to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1, addition OP). Remembering that they, like my companions and I, volunteered to make this trip with the sole reason of spreading the net of the Gospel out into the sea of the world helped me to increase my faith. It also helped me in knowing how to pray and what to supplicate for, echoing the apostle Paul who prayed, “that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11). Yet again, the worthy value of relying on Him Whom we all were traveling to Arequipa to serve was instrumental in my mental preparation. It was also sapient to not lose sight that these were fellow Christians (with whom I shared the desire to save souls with) that I would have the honor to work with and therefore the precious opportunity to “exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any…be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). Verily, having the proper positive mindset removed the obstacles that would have obstructed my path that led to meeting a myriad of Gaiuses. To be continued…