“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.” – 1 Cor. 1:27-29
I have received the general question often—“Why Mexico?” They don’t say it, but I wonder if many people think I’m a little crazy and foolish. After all, why would someone choose to leave all of the opportunities that are offered in the U.S.? Couldn’t I just be a pastor there? Surely it would be the safer and more comfortable decision for my family. It also goes unsaid, but I wonder if some of my Mexican friends and family question what kind of impact a white boy from the States could ever have in Mexico. Will I ever be taken seriously in Mexico? Will I ever learn the language well enough to minister in a deep way? Will I ever truly become part of the community that we live and serve in or will I always be an outsider? I feel like it might be a little easier for my wife and kids since their skin color allows them to blend in a little better, but I will likely always stand out as the white boy. Maybe I am a little foolish and maybe I will never truly fit in, but my answer to that original question is always the same. “I am serving Jesus in Mexico because God has called me here.”
It was a little over ten years ago that I was attending Trinidad State Junior College on a baseball scholarship. Baseball was life—it had been for years—and it was all that I wanted to do. Sure, I had the grades to do lots of other things, but none of those things sparked my interest. For me, Jesus was there in a peripheral kind of way—always playing back-up behind baseball and other worldly pursuits. Then, an interesting thing happened. My baseball world started to crumble. It wasn’t working out like I had always dreamed it would. I was left in a state of despondency as I contemplated what life would look like without baseball. It may sound silly to be so upset over a game, but baseball had always been my life. What will I do if I don’t play baseball? What else is there that would fulfill me and bring me joy? Wait, why am I seeking fulfillment and joy from a game? Shouldn’t there be much more to life than success playing a game? The lightbulb began to come on in my heart. I realized that only Jesus would bring the fulfillment and joy that I was looking for. Pretty soon, I began seeking Him and His Word just as passionately as I had previously sought success in baseball. I was still playing baseball, but it was losing its grip on my heart.
As I prayed and sought the Lord, a really weird thing started to happen. It started as just a crazy idea, but the more I prayed the more the idea grew. “I think God might want me to be a missionary in Latin America.” It didn’t make sense. My experience of Latin America was virtually non-existent. My time there consisted of a couple trips across the border to Tijuana when my family lived in San Diego. I could hardly remember those trips. Latin America never held any kind of special place in my heart. I had never been on any kind of mission trip. Being a missionary had never once crossed my mind. I couldn’t explain it, but pretty soon the desire to be a missionary started to eclipse my desire to play baseball. This process continued until, finally, I admitted the truth. “God is calling me to be a missionary in Latin America.” It was time to start adjusting my life to make that a reality. In the years to follow, I saw God confirm, refine and narrow the call into being a missionary and church-planter in Chihuahua, Mexico. He even brought me a beautiful lady with the same calling and passion for Mexico—my wife Priscilla. Today I know without a shadow of a doubt, God has called me to serve Him as a missionary here in Chihuahua.
Knowing that God has called me to Mexico makes all the difference. It doesn’t matter if it seems crazy—God has called me to do it. It doesn’t matter if I get laughed at trying to speak Spanish with people—God has called me to do it. It doesn’t matter if I look foolish as a white boy trying point Mexicans to Jesus—God has called me to do it. The smartest, safest, most fulfilling place you can ever be is in the middle of God’s will. If giving my life to follow the Lord makes me look a little crazy and foolish, then so be it. However, it was Jim Elliot who said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose.” When the light-bulb comes on in your heart, you realize that the one that is really crazy and foolish is the one that is NOT following God’s will for their life. Following Him may mean we look like fools to those around us. However, we must never forget that God loves to use the “foolish things” of this world that He may receive glory though their lives. It’s not about us. It’s about God and His glory. Sometimes, maybe often times, He receives glory best with foolish things. In this case, the foolish thing is a white boy moving his family to Chihuahua as he seeks to spend his life pointing Mexico to Jesus.