Eggs and Donkeys
“The Lord has need of it.”
Mark 11:3 (ESV)
In 1965, Briarwood Church began its global evangelistic mission by sending our first two missionaries to Mexico. Since then, over 2000 missionaries have been sent out through our church to over 70 countries across the globe. The GMC and our children’s GLOW (Go Light Our World) conference are two of our church calendar’s highlights.
Several weeks before the missions conference began, there were multiple pleas for housing volunteers to host visiting missionaries. Initially I ignored the requests, but eventually completed the volunteer form and, quite honestly, hoped we wouldn’t be needed.
When James Bruce was alive, he was our biggest obstacle to overnight hospitality. His autism made hosting guests difficult. After his death, I no longer had an excuse, but I also had a lot of grief to process over the last three years.
By God’s providence, we were matched with an American missionary serving in Honduras. Briarwood’s Missions office provided his contact information, an eight-page conference schedule, and details on what we needed to provide as hosts. Lunches and dinners would be provided by the church. We would provide “grab and go” breakfast items such as bagels, yogurt, fruit, and granola bars.
Grateful for the directions, I purchased those items, changed the guest bedroom’s sheets, gathered fresh towels, and made sure I had an extra house key. Technically my home was ready, but honestly, my heart wasn’t. I was anxious.
Receiving our guest’s itinerary, I quickly realized that his expected stay was eleven days, not seven!! Complicating matters, I was scheduled to teach a weekend women’s retreat and my husband was overseeing a bathroom re-modelling project for his elderly mother. There was a distinct possibility that we could wind up hosting both a missionary and my mother-in-law for the week. My anxiety level accelerated to “churning and burning.”
Per the Missions Office’s instructions, I contacted our guest a few days before his arrival, confirmed his plans, and assured him we would have the required “grab and go” breakfast items. His “I eat 2-3 eggs for breakfast every morning” reply sent me over the cliff emotionally. I stewed and brewed over cooking breakfast for 11 days.
Meanwhile my women’s Bible group was studying Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem recorded in Mark 11. I had already admitted my angst over my egg dilemma and asked this group to pray for my churning and burning heart. We began reading Mark’s passage and I came to verse 3, “the Lord has need of it.” Suddenly my heart jumped at those words and the Holy Spirit immediately convicted me of my sin and selfishness.
“Donna, if Jesus asked you to cook 2-3 eggs for him for eleven days, would you not do it and do it gladly?”
“Of course, Lord,” I answered quickly.
God’s Word met me where I was that morning. My husband went out and purchased two dozen eggs. Our missionary arrived the next day and quickly said, “I’m sorry about the egg email. I didn’t know about the bird flu or how expensive eggs have become here.” We both had a good laugh as I confessed my egg angst and how God dealt with it. We also compromised as I showed him where my omelet pans, butter, and eggs were stored. We would provide all the eggs he needed if he would cook them and clean up.
We had a delightful eleven days, and our missionary was the perfect guest. My Bible study women asked how his stay was going, and I responded, “He’s neat as a pin and quiet as a mouse!”
The highlight of his stay occurred one afternoon when he came into my kitchen and quietly asked, “Do you have anything on Bible Literacy? I want to start a “how to study the Bible class” in Honduras and I was hoping you could recommend some resources to get me started.” He had no way of knowing that Bible Literacy is my passion. I’ve taught classes, led seminars, and gathered material for over ten years. I happily shared some of my favorite resources.
God didn’t really need my eggs or extra bedroom, but he always needs my heart. My churning and burning were heart issues with my pride, selfishness, comfort, anxiety, and desire for control all on display. No one else could see those nasty forces at work in my heart, but God did. He nailed me with one verse of scripture: “The Lord has need of it.”
What does God need from you?