Caught the travel bug?

Seeing the sights – through God’s eyes

Want to head to LA to rub shoulders with Mickey and Minnie at Disneyland? Itching to try a real Italian gelato in Rome? Ready to conquer the Great Wall of China? How about trying out your fake French accent on the streets of Paris?

The lure of overseas travel…you only have to look at the overflowing shelves in the ‘Travel’ section at your local book store to see that it’s irresistible to Aussies young and old.

I for one spent many Year 12 Drama classes mapping out dream holidays that covered whole countries and continents with my friends. Actually, in the years after we escaped our uniform-wearing, backpack-toting high school years, lots of my friends put the money they earned from countless shifts at Maccas or coffee shops towards the golden ticket: a round-the-world plane fare.

Now there’s no doubt that this world is full of some truly amazing sights. Our creator-God outdid himself when he spoke this planet into existence.

But no matter how much we love the thought of travelling around the globe and enjoying all the good stuff God’s generously given us, you can bet that God loves our world way more than we do. He’s got a serious soft spot for the people that populate this beautiful but broken and sinful world – every single skin colour, every different language.

You’ve probably memorised the verse: God so loved the world that he gave his only son so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life (John 3:16).

It’s because God so loves the whole wide world that some Aussie Christians have headed overseas. But these Christians aren’t just taking holidays in exotic locations. They’re missionaries, and they’re in the business of telling the world about God’s love for it – a love so crazy that it led him to crucify his son Jesus for its sake.

Maybe your youth group or church already supports some missionaries by praying for them.

Why not tell us what missionary groups you support & some creative ways you have been able to help support them?