- Why should I pay for you to go on vacation?!
- Why don’t you stay here and do a mission in your own backyard instead of going to France?
We would like to take a few minutes to address these questions. Simply put, we are not going on vacation. We are taking time off from work, yes. We are getting on a plane, true. We will be in France, of course. However, we will not be paid for our time off and are contributing personally to the trip from our own bank accounts. Furthermore, we will not be sightseeing, eating in fine dining establishments, or sitting outside sidewalk cafes. Truth be told, will probably not even spend much time together during those two weeks! Within our time off from our daily work, we will have very limited opportunites to go hiking and recuperate, and for a day (in which the campers will be away on an overnight hike) we may have time to go into town, but even though Chelsea has been to this camp twice already and spent six weeks in France, she has yet to see Paris or spend any time in any large city. While the surroundings are indeed beautiful, and we will certainly enjoy our time serving at Camp des Cimes, this does not discredit the work we will be doing, as we believe it to be vital to what God is doing in France. It is a truly misguided concept that serving God must be a tedious chore, as we have all been blessed with gifts so that our service to the Lord can be a blessing not only to those we serve, but a blessing for us as well. Scripture makes clear that serving God is not a burden, but a joy. (Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 12:6-8, 2 Corinthians 9:7-8)
Throughout our two weeks in France, David will be hiking up the mountain to scrub down the boy’s bathrooms daily as well as spending hours getting covered with dried crusty food while washing hundreds of dishes. Chelsea will be spending twelve hours (at least) everyday in the kitchen. She will be heading the kitchen team and will likely be on her feet all day everyday, working very hard to keep all the campers’ stomachs full and happy. She will be making three course meals for every single meal, never repeating an item during the entire two weeks as well as coordinating food orders and keeping the pantry in order. David will also be helping with a video workshop – working with the kids to teach them about the art of video and helping them create a story while worshipping God. While God is utilizing the gifts he has given us, and we enjoy serving in this capacity, these two and a half weeks are not easy on either of us mentally, physically, or emotionally.
There is, perhaps, a larger context to this question as well. Sadly, because France is not a third world nation, many see such a trip as needless and misguided. Why not help those who really need the help? Such a question reveals a lack of proper priorities, as we were not called simply to provide material aid to the physically sick and hungry, but primarily called to reach out to the spiritually impoverished. Not only does Christ commission us to go to all nations (Matthew 28:18-20), not simply poverty stricken nations, but as Paul states in Romans 15, “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.” Thus, the central goal of missions from the beginning has not been to meet physical needs, but to share the gospel with those who have not heard it. Yes, meeting physical needs is a command of God, and this is a means of grace by which we live out our faith and show others a tangible example of Christ’s love in action, but the gospel is “of first importance” (1 Corinthians 15:3) and all other action is in support of this goal. It would be silly to restrict our missions to areas that have great physical needs while neglecting the developed world. God desires all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), not simply those who have immediate physical needs. So, though it is not in vogue, we have answered God’s call to go support and aid the preaching of this gospel among French youth.
The second question is surely a valid one. Why would we leave here when there is so much to be done stateside, especially in a city like Milwaukee, were highly impoverished areas seem to take up nearly half the area and the population is considered one of the most segregated in the U.S.? We wish to assure you that we aren’t going to France in lieu of bringing God’s light to Milwaukee, instead we are going to France in addition to bringing God’s light to Milwaukee.
So, we thought we would give you a little taste of our mission field here and what God is doing through us in this city. First of all, Milwaukee. Milwaukee Public Schools has a high school graduation rate of 47%. Forty-seven percent! That is incredibly low, especially considering that Milwaukee tends to count the outskirts of its town as part of the actual city, unlike a city like Minneapolis, which restricts its population lines to the actual city and still has a graduation rate of about 80%. According to the city’s newspaper, in 2007, Milwaukee had the eighth highest poverty rate in the country – nearly 26% live below the poverty line. Sadly, it’s not news to us. It is impossible to avoid the fact that there are many highly impoverished areas of Milwaukee that need help both materially and spiritually.
Okay, so that’s pretty grim. So why aren’t we trying to bring Jesus to this city? Simply: we are. Some examples, you ask? First of all, we are very involved in our church, leading a small group and attempting to encourage discipleship and a growth of good doctrine within the church body. Secondly, we are involved in several ministries outside of the church and have a couple of opportunities for more. David has led a Bible study and done spiritual counseling at the Salvation Army Emergency Lodge for about a year and a half, reaching out to the homeless with compassion, respect, and the gospel. Chelsea has begun to join him every week and hopes to soon begin counseling the women in the Lodge as well. Additionally, the two of us worked with Lutheran Social Services last year to resettle a Burmese refugee family in Milwaukee – a ministry that continues today in the form of calls to help take a child to the hospital or resolve confusion over legal and insurance documents. We also have a new opportunity for Chelsea to begin volunteering at a Christian pregnancy center in town, peer counseling pregnant women or women who have recently had abortions (although the center never recommends abortions and does NOT administer them). She is excited for the opportunity and is prayerfully considering it. Finally, we both attempt to administer God’s grace around our workplaces and schools by living out Colossians 3:23-24 (“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”). Chelsea is also currently looking into social work jobs that have assist in foster care and adoption, and she’s very excited about this possibility!
As you can tell, we are passionate about bringing God’s love to every corner of the world – not just France and not just Milwaukee. We try to heed His call always. For the month of July, He is calling us to France, and every other day, He calls us to serve Him in our own backyard. Hopefully, this answers your questions. If you have any others, shoot us an email:
We are doing our best to faithfully serve Him in every capacity we can, although we usually fail miserably. Only by His Grace can we even approach Him and only through His Spirit can we do His work.
In Christ,
David and Chelsea
