Paul Johnson’s Story
How God Called Me to Missions
A number of years ago, God placed a spark in my heart to check out missions. At first it was just that, a spark. I hadn't seriously considered anything beyond going to college, beginning a career and someday getting married, until a friend of mine came back from a two-month cross-cultural mission experience. He spoke with such enthusiasm about his experience and what God had done in and through him that little by little I began to pay attention to God's global call in the Scriptures.
I read verses like “go into all the world and preach the Gospel…”and I began to think that God might actually be calling me to go. The thought scared me and although my friend was convinced that everyone should go to the same place he had gone, for the same length of time he had gone for and with the same group, I wasn’t convinced.
The spark in my heart was beginning to “ignite”. Not long after, I heard about a two-week trip to Guatemala where I would be involved in evangelism, Bible distribution and social outreach. To my shame, I didn’t even know where Guatemala was; I had to look it up on a map! I ended up going to Guatemala, and even though my Spanish was close to non-existent and my ability to form relationships with the Guatemalans was minimal, God began to “ignite” a flame for missions in my heart.
A brief time after, I went on a study tour through Bethel College to Israel and Rome, which God used to further enlarge my vision of the world. The spark that had been planted a few years back, via my friend and God’s Word, was beginning to kindle, and I felt God drawing me back to Latin America. This time it was to Monterrey, Mexico. Again, God did more in me than I believe He did in the Mexican people, but He was at work.
In December of 1987 I attended Urbana 87 (InterVarsity’s Student Mission Conference), where I heard Billy Graham, Ajith Fernando, George Verwer, and Becky Pipert, among others, who intensely challenged us to consider God’s call to a needy world. At this time, I felt God calling me to take a real step out of my comfort zone.
Up to this point, I had participated in trips where I stayed with a group of Americans, ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, went out to “minister” and then returned to the safe confines of a mission complex, but never had the opportunity to establish relationships with the people I was “ministering” to. I had no chance to follow-up on those who had responded to the Gospel and I learned relatively little about the people and their culture.
What would it mean for me to step out of my comfort zone? A year before Urbana a friend had told me about a program called Spearhead. He told me that his mission experience with Spearhead had changed his life. He told me how he had lived with a Mexican family, worked in a Mexican church and worked under national leadership. He had studied Spanish with Mexican teachers, visited important historic and cultural sites in Mexico City and learned to love Mexican food (real Mexican food, not the Taco Bell variety). Most importantly, he had seen individuals come to Christ and had personally followed up with them. He had established lasting friendships with Mexican Christians and non-Christians. At Urbana, God confirmed to me, that He was calling me to serve with Spearhead.
The following summer I headed to Mexico City. The experience I had with Spearhead was much more challenging than my earlier experiences. Adjusting to a completely new diet, learning how to get around on public transportation and sharing my faith in Spanish involved more effort than when I worked with translators and was escorted from place to place. Yet, the benefits were much greater and outweighed the challenges. The joy of seeing people respond to the Gospel and personally following up with them, establishing lasting relationships with my Mexican family and church and learning something of what it means to follow Christ in one of the largest cities of the world, proved to be life transforming experiences.
God used Spearhead in my life to ignite in me a passion for missions and God’s call to the world. Spearhead has a unique role among short-term mission programs. Many missionaries have come out of the Spearhead program to serve the Lord long-term throughout the world, not only in Latin America. We have seen missionaries birthed through Spearhead who are more in touch with the culture, less paternalistic and more cooperative with the National church than others who have not had the privilege of experiencing a program like Spearhead.
We have seen many return to the States with a greater vision for the world and a better idea of what missionaries need in terms of support and encouragement to effectively carry out their work. We have seen many return to serve the Lord in their secular jobs with an improved ability to relate to the increasingly diversified U.S. work force. We have seen others return to minister to the growing Latino immigrant population.
Spearhead gives young adults a realistic view of missionary service, working with the local church, but also in other forms of ministry: micro-enterprise development, social outreach – orphanages, Christian clinics, children’s ministry, educational programs and more. Spearhead offers an opportunity to be immersed in Latin culture, living with local families, studying the language and culture with native teachers, working with national leadership and sharing the love of Jesus at the same time. Throughout, Spearhead provides an opportunity to “ignite” your passion for missions and to consider your role in His global mission.
Paul Johnson
Spearhead Director
LAM Missionary, Mexico
