Magnify the Lord With Us

In our eyes, our call to foreign missions isn’t too different from other families here at Family Missions Company. After all, each of our steps are guided by the same Holy Spirit. What may be unique is our own participation, or lack thereof, in the early days of our calling. Thankfully, we serve a very patient God who has magnanimous timing! It took over five years from our first exposure to Catholic foreign missions for us to take the first steps towards FMC. And now, by the grace of God, we’re finally growing into that vocation full time.

January 2016 was our first introduction to lay Catholic foreign mission work. After attending a daily Mass at our nearby parish, we emerged from the breezeway and looked out on a familiar scene: an empty parking lot. As usual, we were the last parishioners to leave, staying behind to visit with friends. As we trekked through the parking lot, we noticed a large passenger van turning into the church entryway. As it approached, the thought crossed my mind, “Oh boy, we’re going to have to interact with these people.” We knew there would be no other intended target; we were the only possible ones in their sights.

As the big van came to a stop next to us, the energetic driver jumped out. He introduced himself with a confident handshake and explained that he and his family were seeking a priest to bless their “well-loved” vehicle as a remedy for recent car troubles. When we explained that Father had already left for the day, the conversation turned to their family’s vocation. They explained they were full-time Catholic missionaries who travel around the world, sharing stories of Christ’s love with others. You could have heard our disbelief: “You mean to tell us you take your small children into other countries and expose them to the sick and poor?”

“Foreign missions? Isn’t that only for priests and religious sisters?” They smiled and explained that families, too, had a very special role in evangelization and that kids often make the best missionaries. Surprisingly, that line of reasoning made complete sense, but we didn’t dare imagine us ever playing that part. Despite our bewilderment, what we saw in that family was a profound sense of joy and a surreal confidence in their faith. It was so attractive. They knew Christ loved them, and they just had to run and tell others about it. A seed was planted that day in our hearts, thanks to their witness.

They knew Christ loved them, and they just had to run and tell others about it.

Five years later, we entered a season of amazing consolation. As a family, we were going deeper, longing to be closer to the Lord, and ready to submit to His direction. He wasted no time showing us where we needed to be and suddenly that long-dormant seed came alive.

During Holy Week of 2021, we found an unexplainable urge to pore over copies of FMC’s SERVE magazine, read through blogs of FMC missionaries, and peruse Genie Summers’ books, all while praying deeper with Scripture. In the Scriptures we found the most peace about our newfound calling. Matthew 28:19-20, Joshua 1:9, and Psalm 9, in particular, along with several accompanying signs, seemed to jump off the pages and shout, “This is the way; walk in it!” (Isaiah 30:21). So, we did.

Our first major step was attending a short-term mission trip to Costa Rica. The joy from that experience fueled our next steps: attending a discernment week in November 2022 and submitting our letter of intent to join FMC a few weeks later. By this point, we were ALL set ablaze, thrilled at the possibility of our own family mission.

Now, nine years after originally being introduced to FMC, we’re ecstatic that we get to serve as a missionary family! What we had once scoffed at has become our very aim. We’ve learned to love Jesus more, and go even deeper with Him, letting go of our control, and listening to His voice. We now understand that He has given our family many gifts, especially that of God-given joy, which we shouldn’t bury, but must share with the world.