Passing on the gift
I just returned from a ten day mission trip to Honduras. Our
team worked with Heifer International which is an organization
that began by delivering livestock to impoverished areas as
a means of helping them build sustainable communities. I have
supported Heifer financially for many years, but had never
experienced first hand the ways in which their organization
helps to transform communities. It was amazing to see the look
of pride on the faces of these poor families. The communities
we visited with were anxious to share with us the ways in which
they had been blessed. They worked along side us as we constructed
homes and were a blessing to us in ways that I can not translate
easily into words. It was indeed a life changing experience.
Since I have returned, I have been thinking a lot about a
philosophy of teaching Heifer uses called, “passing on
the gift”. Each family that receives a cow or other livestock
must pass on the gift of the offspring to another family, so
that they are not just receivers, but also a part of the blessing
of others within their community. This notion of “passing
on the gift” sounds to me much like what we are called
to in our life as Christians. Jesus tells us in Mark’s
gospel to “Go into all the world and preach the good
news to everyone, everywhere!” (Mark 16:15). The Christian
life is indeed peculiar, but more than that it is transformative!
It is the way of life that brings the poor of Honduras together
with the rich of Durham. It is the way of life that presents
hope in the midst of chaos by bringing us right into the very
palm of our creator’s hands. The hope we find in the
gospel message is certainly good news to be shared!
This way of life is the invitation that should always be resting
on our lips waiting to be spoken to others. As Christians,
we are called to invite others into this zany way of living.
We are called to share with them our story of God’s transforming
work in our own lives and in the world around us. So in a sense,
evangelism is simply a way for us to “pass on the gift”.
It is sometimes a struggle when you are in school to even maintain
your own faith amidst the social pressures and the busyness
of academia. Yet, passing on the gift can be as simple as inviting
a friend to bible study, to attend church service with you,
or hear your personal story of God at work in your life. I
hope each of you to will be intentional this week about the
ways in which you too can pass on the gift! I hope that you
will follow Jesus’ commandment to “go into all
the world and preach the good news, everywhere!”
Michelle Shrader
Duke Chapel, Missions Intern
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