My fingers got sticky.
The kind of sticky where if you pinch your fingers together it’s hard to pull them apart.
And after that, I came home.
Two weeks before departure for our Saba Spring Break , Lipscomb University decided to suspend all student international mission trips due to the virus which will not be named. Although hard to swallow, we understood.
We knew there was an island full of folks that were expecting us, so our family and a hand full of alumni decided to head on down to spread the love.
Our family flew a few days early and then were joined by four others. We reconstructed the trip’s itinerary and plans. We reworked the curriculum. Each of us tackled new responsibilities and knew it was all hands on deck.
When we finally were together on the island and ready to get to work, travel bans begin to take place. Countries started closing borders. Worry began to spread.
Still on Saturday morning it seemed things looked promising on my five square miles. So, we decided to unplug and get to work.
We helped build and paint a school bus stop. It was to replace the one that was missing when the locals opened their windows the morning after a lady named Irma visited a little over a year ago. It was a hot, sunny Saturday on Saba and we loved every second of it.
That night we invited all the children and teens to an ice cream social. That’s when my hands got sticky.
We served approximately 150 kids ice cream with chocolate syrup. There was laughter and smiles and joy. There was sugared up energy and lots of ice cream filled bellies.
Then a friend told me to look at my phone. It was full of texts and missed calls. St. Martin, the hub of our travel in and out of Saba, was closing its air space. I spent the rest of the evening once again making phone calls and exchanging messages to change plans and alter itineraries.
A lot of people hear mission trip and probably think, “Did you tell any of them about Jesus?”
A lot of people think that once you have loved on someone or done something kind, you must tell them about your faith. Verbally give a testimony about what Jesus can do for them.
But from my experience, a lot of times when you do it like that, folks go deaf.
Lately I have been really enamored with the time Jesus fed the 5,000. I love how He had leftovers.
We are told about the leftovers but we are never told how many people actually started accepting Him after they were fed. You know what else, I bet some of those present were there just to take advantage of the good food. And from what I can tell Jesus was okay with that.
Jesus didn’t worry about being taken advantage of or the motives of the people He served or loved. He just served. He just loved.
He loved and served with no questions, no expectations, and no strings attached. He even loved them with the knowledge some of them would yell “Crucify Him!” in the days to come.
My sticky fingers after serving ice cream may not ever lead anyone to Jesus. But my sticky fingers can be an expression of faith and love, not a transaction looking for a certain result in return for a scoop of cookies and cream.
But if a little friend one day tells me about the time I gave them ice cream with chocolate syrup and then asks me about Jesus, that will be awesome. I will be more than happy to tell them about the joy that Jesus has given me...joy that is greater than any earthly sugar rush imaginable.
But if that never happens, it's okay. I am not told ice cream will change anyone. I am not told that I will change anyone...I am just commanded to love everyone. Jesus takes care of the changing.
Much can happen in a short amount of time. A lot can change. He used a school bus stop and a virus to change and turn my heart in just a few days. Oh, and sticky fingers. Can’t forget those. He used those, too.
As I write this I am on a flight a few hundred miles from Nashville. The Thomas family is on hour 37 of our efforts to get home. It’s been an adventure for lack of a better term. An emotional and mental roller coaster we never saw coming.
We are thankful for our time although brief. We are thankful for each other and for the laughter our family can muster even in the most stressful of times. We are thankful for our teammates...those that traveled and those that had to stay behind. We are thankful for the guidance and care our friends on the island gave us during the chaos of this situation. We are thankful for our family and friends near and far that have prayed for us and have cared for us in various ways.
And we are thankful for Saba. We miss you desperately.
“Every act of love is a profession of faith because it whispers His name.”
-Bob Goff
