• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer

Stephen M. Miller

Award-Winning, Bestselling Christian Author

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Blog Features
  • Bible
  • Contact
Painting/photo of Jerusalem Temple-Casual English Bible

Long-distance mission work: a good idea?

Stephen M. Miller
Stephen M. Miller on a mission trip.
TAG TEAM. Stephen M. Miller, left, and his Bible study buddy, Dave Rock, building a wheelchair ramp 700 miles from home.

IT’S ONE THING TO STUDY THE BIBLE. Reading and talking is easy.

Living is the tough part. Putting into practice what we’ve learned: Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Recently, I’ve wondered who my neighbor is.

We’ve talked about this in my Bible study group as we’ve explored mission projects to undertake.

I’ve been lobbying for a mission trip outside our region. We’ve done plenty of good stuff nearby. But my gut (or perhaps the Holy Spirit; it’s sometimes hard to tell one from the Other) has been prodding me lately to help the group venture outside our comfort zone.

A Bible study buddy of mine, Dave Rock, went with me last week on a mission trip 700 miles from home: to a mountain top in rural Kentucky. We didn’t do anything there that we couldn’t have done here. We built a 36-foot-long wheelchair ramp.

We spent two days traveling and two days working.

The argument against that is if we had stayed here, we could have spent all four days working.

But I’m wondering if the bonds of friendship that you develop on a mission road trip is worth the travel time.

I had great respect for my buddy Dave before the trip. But after spending four days and nights with him and the team that went with us, the repectometer has punched itself off the scale. It has something to do with seeing great drops of sweat drip from the bill of your buddy’s John Deere cap, while he’s volunteering to help someone he doesn’t know and will probably never see again.

That happens in local mission efforts, too. But these long-distance missions seem to magnify everything. From the respect and the friendship to the backaches and the blisters.

Could it be that the more you suffer the more you appreciate who you’re suffering for…and with? And the more you understand that your neighbor is anyone who’s in need, and who’s within your reach…near or far?

Share this:

  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...
View All Posts - Ordered by Most Recent First
« Previous
Next »

About Stephen M. Miller

STEPHEN M. MILLER is an award winning bestselling Christian author of easy-reading books about the Bible and Christianity and author of the Casual English Bible® paraphrase. His books have sold over two million copies and include The Complete Guide to the Bible and Who’s and Where’s Where in the Bible.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar

Casual English Bible Website

Featured Book

Complete Guide to the Bible

Complete Guide to the Bible
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Books-A-Million
Buy from Christian Book Distributor
Buy from Google Play

Latest Posts

  • I do one thing better than God May 27, 2025
  • When our faith glitches May 5, 2025
  • Job is the right book for me now April 16, 2025

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog Features
  • Books
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

Copyright © 2025 · Stephen M. Miller · All Rights Reserved

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
Reject AllAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
%d