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| Becoming Missionaries |  |
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By: Jenny Teets |
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They tell me that mountaineers enjoy climbing mountains because of the emotional highs and lows which they experience. Why they would want to be scared to death on one hand, yet elated beyond measure on the other, does not make much sense to me. I read recently about some climbers who discovered that they were woefully ignorant about the things that were not the same in all mountains. However, they soon learned that the biggest difference between climbing different mountains lay in that grey area of uncertainty and decision making. It was in the realm of the mind, not the body, where the greatest struggle took place. |
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It dawned on me that we were getting to our last mountain, which was Montevideo, Uruguay, South America. We had pastored in Iron Mountain, Michigan, Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and here we were staring another mountain in the face! The name, Montevideo, is interpreted, “I see a mount!” Mountains were going to have a spiritual connotation for us; indeed we did “see a mount!” God would help us in our fears of the unknown! |
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At last, our plane landed in Montevideo! As we disembarked from the plane, we looked up to a balcony and there we saw smiling people holding up a large sign that read, “Bienvenidos al Uruguay Fla. Teets” or “Welcome to Uruguay, Teets Family!” The people were so excited, and began hugging all of us and kissing us on both cheeks. The people seemed so strikingly warm and welcoming! Suddenly, tears began to rush down my cheeks! The day arriving in Uruguay, after nearly 3 years of planning, waiting and traveling for missions, had finally come! |
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My greatest fear was that now we were no longer students, or ‘acting’ missionaries. We had talked about missions throughout deputation and as students in Costa Rica, but finally we were practicing missionaries! How can one jump into a new role overnight? How can we just take charge of a whole missionary district as to be their missionaries? What leap of faith must we take to be missionaries, in what seemed to be an overnight happening? |
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The lesson I learned since those days, it is not being at all, rather it is always becoming. ‘Being’ suggests that one is always the same permanently, when in fact we are always becoming more of something. We are still striving for the mastery! The reality is that the Lord is the only true Being----changeless, complete, whole, and permanently perfect in all ways. He does not have to work at becoming something more….he is totally perfect |
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Jenny Teets is minister’s wife, mother of 4 children and grandmother of 7. She and her husband last pastored New Life Apostolic Church in NYC for 26 years. They were missionaries to Uruguay for 6 years and have also pastored in other churches in USA. Jenny received a master’s degree in Philosophy at Queens College in NYC. She was the ladies president of NY Metro District for 12 years and has authored a book, “Married to Ministry.” |
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