by: Jason and Jessica Wilde(originally published as a Facebook Note on February 1, 2016) Our family travels a lot. In our four years of traveling the world with our 3 children, we have seen over 20 countries and 5 continents. Originally, traveling was our hobby - it was for our enjoyment, and eventually it turned into a large part of our home school curriculum. Little did we know that God was using our hobby to show us the needs of the world and how we could help. How Traveling Changed UsOne of our favorite trips was in Thailand, the land of smiles. The kids ate Pad Thai every day, rode on elephants, and were blessed by a Buddhist monk. But, the poverty was unmistakable. In the floating market, we saw a five year old boy working barefoot on a longtail boat hauling tourists around. He knew how to tie all the knots. When our boat came to a lock, he hopped between all of the boats tying them together. Later on, the passengers in his boat bought this little boy a Coca-Cola as a tip. I’ll never forget the contentment on his face as he sat on the bow of the boat savoring his soda. Now when we listen to our kid’s favorite Veggietales song in the car, we think of that little boy in Thailand working barefoot and tying knots. I got shoes, you got shoes, all God's children got shoes. When I get to Heaven gonna put on my shoes I'm gonna walk all over God's Heaven. (Veggietales, I Got Shoes) We have experienced many heart wrenching moments in our travels. We’ve been lost in the hutongs in Beijing looking for our hotel and passed by crumbling rooms that families still call home. In Rio de Janiero, we missed our exit and drove through a barrio guarded by men carrying machine guns while the kids played in the streets. But, it was in India when some kids threw rocks at us that we had a revelation. Afterward, we sat and prayed inside the beautiful Santhome Basilica. We realized that we couldn’t just sit back and tour the world for fun anymore. We had to find a way to make a difference in the world and in the lives of the people we met. A successful life and a happy life is one as measured by how much you have accomplished for others and not one as measured by how much you’ve done for yourself. Ed Young, The House that Baba Built) |
On a MissionTwo passionate parents and their four children are excited to bring His Word to everyone in need while living a life of Gospel poverty as missionaries. They invite you to join them on a journey to encounter our global neighbors that Jesus commands us to love through works of charity and service. Archives
April 2021
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