How long does it take?

I was recently reading about Jim Elliot. He was a missionary to Ecuador. When he first decided to go to Ecuador to serve (from what I read) he was really excited to get in the trenches to share God's love. Instead, he arrived in Ecuador to hostile villagers.

He first spent time learning the language. Months of training.

Knowing that the villagers were hostile, he couldn't just walk up to them. He devised a plan to get to know the villagers first. He had a plane fly over the village, and he dropped down supplies and gifts from the plane. While giving gifts, he used his newly acquired language to yell words of encouragement, greetings, and information about why he was there. Again, months and months.

He was finally able to get into the village and meet the villagers. He was finally able to begin the work he came to do. How long he had waited!

This story made me think of the work at The Crossing. Great news! We do not have to drop boxes from planes. The bad news... We cannot just jump in and do our work. First, prayer, prayer, prayer. How do we know where we are to go? How do we know which students we are supposed to reach? Second, we have to learn the language. Wow. This is a tricky one. I am not just thinking about the language but about really knowing someone. We need to learn about the lives being led, the aspirations, the issues. This takes time and perseverance. Finally, finally... the work can begin. It is just plain messy. It can be painful; it can be rewarding.

I think that reading about Jim Elliot reminded me one more time that working at The Crossing is not a job. It is first and foremost a missionary calling.