I was asked the question again, "To what do you attribute your children being around the world sharing the gospel?" I often don't have an answer. It's not exactly what I planned. I probably don't need to tell you that there's no one set formula, and I probably also don't need to tell you that God doesn't call every family to this kind of mission work. Missionaries we all must be, but 'where' is the question.
But, as I was sitting at our dining room table with this friend, I started to recount some events that contributed to the making of this particular missionary family, the Litchfield tribe.
Not necessarily in the order of importance! But all crucial in our situation!
1) Grandparents with a vision......Grandma Schultze was going to be a missionary nurse and Grandpa Schultze a medical doctor. God didn't grant that specific desire, but the desire was sensed and passed along (on fire godly aunt and uncle didn't hurt anything either!)
2) German grandfather/pastor - No nonsense. Black and white. No excuses. God speaks....you obey!!! It doesn't matter what people think, how much it will cost you or even what YOU think....get over whatever it is and obey!!!
3) Marrying in God's will (again not essential for everyone but it sure helps!) My parents and Don and I endeavored to marry who God wanted us to marry
4) Knowing the purpose of family. Before I even married, the question was on my mind. Why have children? To be honest a lot of them didn't look very enjoyable! And to my teen mind they were an inconvenience. Do we have children just so they can have children and so on? I didn't have all the answers at the time, but as God unfolded our lives, we learned that children were to be born and raised with the purpose to serve God.... not us.
5) Separateness from the world and much godly instruction. In our family, home schooling and much training were involved.
6) Denny Kenaston's Godly Home Series. When I would listen to these audio tapes, I would become so stirred by Denny's vision to send our children out to the far corners of the world to share the gospel. My children heard me exhorting them after I would hear some of these messages!
7) Missionary biographies. Most of our children's reading was educational in some way and that which was spiritual. Missionary biographies were required reading as well as reading biographies of other great men and women of the faith.
8) Mission trips. We took them on mission trips. They went on some on their own. They saw me weep when leaving countries because we couldn't do more. They saw their father invest in lives of people he didn't know. They ministered in song and deed to spiritually hungry people. They sang with their grandpa in the open plazas in Europe and people would gather.
9) Honest hearts. Okay. This one could be essential. We tried to have honest hearts and to respond to the Spirit even when others around us saw things differently. We wanted Gods will personally and we were willing to make changes where necessary.
10) Heart ties. We endeavored to love, understand and enable our children.
Probably not a comprehensive list. But it's a start. These 10 factors contributed greatly to what our children doing today.
But, as I was sitting at our dining room table with this friend, I started to recount some events that contributed to the making of this particular missionary family, the Litchfield tribe.
Not necessarily in the order of importance! But all crucial in our situation!
1) Grandparents with a vision......Grandma Schultze was going to be a missionary nurse and Grandpa Schultze a medical doctor. God didn't grant that specific desire, but the desire was sensed and passed along (on fire godly aunt and uncle didn't hurt anything either!)
2) German grandfather/pastor - No nonsense. Black and white. No excuses. God speaks....you obey!!! It doesn't matter what people think, how much it will cost you or even what YOU think....get over whatever it is and obey!!!
3) Marrying in God's will (again not essential for everyone but it sure helps!) My parents and Don and I endeavored to marry who God wanted us to marry
4) Knowing the purpose of family. Before I even married, the question was on my mind. Why have children? To be honest a lot of them didn't look very enjoyable! And to my teen mind they were an inconvenience. Do we have children just so they can have children and so on? I didn't have all the answers at the time, but as God unfolded our lives, we learned that children were to be born and raised with the purpose to serve God.... not us.
5) Separateness from the world and much godly instruction. In our family, home schooling and much training were involved.
6) Denny Kenaston's Godly Home Series. When I would listen to these audio tapes, I would become so stirred by Denny's vision to send our children out to the far corners of the world to share the gospel. My children heard me exhorting them after I would hear some of these messages!
7) Missionary biographies. Most of our children's reading was educational in some way and that which was spiritual. Missionary biographies were required reading as well as reading biographies of other great men and women of the faith.
8) Mission trips. We took them on mission trips. They went on some on their own. They saw me weep when leaving countries because we couldn't do more. They saw their father invest in lives of people he didn't know. They ministered in song and deed to spiritually hungry people. They sang with their grandpa in the open plazas in Europe and people would gather.
9) Honest hearts. Okay. This one could be essential. We tried to have honest hearts and to respond to the Spirit even when others around us saw things differently. We wanted Gods will personally and we were willing to make changes where necessary.
10) Heart ties. We endeavored to love, understand and enable our children.
Probably not a comprehensive list. But it's a start. These 10 factors contributed greatly to what our children doing today.
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