I recently had the privilege of going on a mission trip with a small team from Center Grove to England. The trip turned out to be challenging, enlightening, and life changing.

I grew up in church, but never experienced evangelism. Really it seemed like the only people who had the duty of telling others about Jesus were the pastor and missionaries. My time in England taught me otherwise.

Salvation is not the finish line. We are called to live on mission– and our mission field is not just overseas in another country. People right here in Clemmons don’t know the Lord. People in your family, your neighborhood, your workplace, your gym… they are your mission field.

Carl Porter, the pastor in England, said, “we need to be able to talk about natural things spiritually, and spiritual things naturally”. Turn everyday conversations into Gospel conversations. That was very convicting for me, because at 27 I had never told anyone about Jesus that I didn’t already know went to church or had some belief. I didn’t want to step outside of my comfort zone, but God doesn’t call us to be comfortable, he tells us to go and tell. If we really believe that God can save people, and if we really love the people around us, and if we are truly thankful for his sacrifice to redeem us, then why do we not tell people about him? We aren’t called to save people, but just tell them the good news. It starts with a conversation.

The Lord really showed me my own lack of faith in him, and where he sat on my list of priorities, by not telling people about him, but serving him and evangelizing in England has changed my life and my view of Jesus. He provided an opportunity, and seeds were planted, and I have grown in my faith because of it.