A SUITCASE OF LOVE
from Nat Brown — World Partners Missionary
In July, I had the privilege of attending the annual conference of the Missionary Church of Mexico. This was not one of the easier trips that I have taken, but it was one of blessings and harvest. When I made my travel arrangements, I was told that it was a short trip — 1–2 hours —from the nearest airport in San Luis Potosí to where the convention would be held. Not only was the trip short, but there would be many people who could move me back and forth. For the last 20 years I have planned these events, and I had forgotten how things are at times when others do all the planning. This trip was full of reminders!
The person who was scheduled to pick me and four others up was four hours late. He brought someone else with him, so five of us needed to get in the back seats of a Honda Odyssey. The trip was four and a half hours long, not two. We managed to get sideswiped by the tail of a large semi-trailer on a very sharp curve, taking the driver’s mirror off and waking everyone. The three in the very back began to really pray!
When we arrived at my hotel at 1:30AM, the manager was not sure I was supposed to be there all by myself away from all the other delegates. No one told me that I would be housed away from all the others and not be given the address or phone number of the pastor in charge. Also, my suitcase did not arrive with me, and the airline would not send it on to me. My host assured me that later that day — around 7:30AM — they would send me with someone back to the airport to pick it up if it arrived. It arrived but no one came to take me back to get it. I was able to bathe, but the same smelly clothes were all I had. I was assured that at 11, then at 12:30, then…we don’t know. Finally, at 3pm, I found a “taxi” and headed back to get my suitcase. The trip took 10 hours all through the Mexican desert, but I got it and got back to finally bathe and sleep.
All the time I was trying to see how I could work all of this out, I kept thinking, “What is it you’re doing Father?” This makes no sense by my standards, but you have something in mind. Lost time, extras costs, missing some of the conference just didn’t seem appropriate, but God had a plan. His plan meant that I spent ten hours with a taxi driver who needed to hear about Jesus, so that’s what I focused on, and what a blessing it was. He is close to the Kingdom, and what a joy to share scripture and Jesus with Domingo for all those hours! He is now in the hands of the local pastor, and I call and text to see if he is really reading John like I recommended.
Saturday, when I was able to attend, it was so good to hear Martín Román and José Luis Fernández speak. They challenged the people to make sure that they were working for the glory of the Father and then left no doubt that we are to be making disciples who in turn reproduce in more disciples! They really internalize this message, and it was so good to hear these things clearly presented from personal experience. I met many who are working in deserted places and doing so out of their own pockets. They believe that the Lord has in Mexico all the resources they need to do his work. No one asked me to help them get funds so that they could do the work! God is blessing this attitude.
I wish that you could have seen the faces of those receiving the Certificates of Appreciation that I, in the name of the Global Fellowship of Missionary Churches, was able to hand out to more than forty people. Again, most had never been recognized for all their years of service — years spent in some of the loneliest, dusty places in the deserts and hills of Mexico. The joy, tears, hugs, and words of gratitude make a trip like this a breeze. I’m grateful for the chance to encourage each of them in Jesus’ name through my World Partners role.
Many shared how much my presence representing World Partners meant to them, but they also commented on something I had not thought of. I shared a short message before handing out the certificates, and often people tell me how much the message means to them, but this time the message wasn’t what made an impact. It wasn’t what I said that made an impression. It wasn’t the time I had spent at the conference. It was the fact that I had spent hours returning for the lost suitcase that had their certificates in it. The cost involved and the fact that an invited guest would do this for them was a far greater testimony to them than any words. They couldn’t believe the way I simply did it. I guess it really demonstrated love in a way they didn’t expect. Praise Jesus!
Globally, the various Missionary Church denominations represent a very large family composed of people from all around the world, and its members love being hugged and patted on the back much like a grandparent would do. To know that someone cares and takes notice is all the love some need to break through — even if love comes in a suitcase.
