Having only attended 3 or 4 services at Connect Church, I walked in that Sunday remembering there was going to be a guest speaker. I thought to myself, “Well dang, this is either going to be a huge hit, or a big waste of time.” Our pastor got up and began introducing the speaker as a mentor and spiritual father, but then he said the words that made me tune right out… missionary . Having grown up in church, I knew having a guest speaker talk about missions meant the service would be less than engaging and more than likely a lousy sales pitch for funding. Now, in full disclosure, Pastor said President of OneHope, a global Mission Organization, but all I heard was “missionary.” I remember thinking, “this will be a snooze fest.” My experience with missions in my previous denominational context led me to boredom and disengagement.

This service was different. This guy was different. His story was different. His passion was different. Immediately, I was captivated by what he was saying. As he told story after story of the organizations history in country after country, I began to see they were making a major impact all over the globe. Once he finished sharing about OneHope, I wanted more. They announced at the conclusion of that service, that in June they would be partnering with OneHope for a mission trip. I knew no one in the church, but following the service, I texted the pastor from the parking lot, “I’m in.”

Fast forward a few weeks later to June of 2017. I found myself on an airplane headed towards Bogotá, Colombia with a group of people I didn’t know, from a church that I wasn’t very connected to. I was nervous. I was anxious. In full transparency, I was regretting my decision. Little did I know, in seven short days, my life would never be the same.

As we walked through the schools and orphanages of Colombia, I began to see that these people were living with real pain. They were longing for any sign of hope, but they were also resilient. They didn’t need material things for a smile to be beaming on their face. Standing among them, my perspective began to shift. While sharing the Word with them, I realized their pain wasn’t much different than the pain I’d been suppressing myself. I began to see that while we have endless material wealth in the United States, we are just as broken. Standing in the streets of Bogota, I realized for the first time that we are a world of broken people. The only thing that can bring true joy to all of life’s circumstances is peace found only in God.

When I arrived back in the United States, I was shaken and confused. Prior to our trip, I had a significant amount of worldly success and received many accolades in my business. None of that brought fulfillment to my life though, like being in a foreign country sharing God’s love. I didn’t know then, but recognize now, that God was calling me to be all in. In those moments, I realized true joy in life is found in serving others.

Maybe you’re reading this and thinking to yourself, “I’m not sure about the idea of serving”. I’ll admit, I was quite apprehensive at first myself. I encourage you to start small. Not everyone is called to go on, or needs to serve in global missions. There are daily opportunities for you to serve others. At the very essence of Jesus you find service. In our pursuit of becoming Christ-like, what better way than to start each day with an attitude of service.

“ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (ESV)