Pivot is a key word at Adventures in Missions. It has to be. In the world of mission work there have always been unplanned and unexpected changes. Other countries do not operate with the same sense of time urgency as the U.S. Having everything scheduled out months ahead of time is not a priority in other parts of the world. It has always made trip planning its own kind of adventure for us! We use the word pivot in our daily vocabulary. This past year, the corona virus has taken our ability to pivot to a whole new level…minute by minute sometimes!
The word pivot means: the central point on which something turns; to shift or turn around a central pin. Our central pin is the gospel of Jesus Christ. If nothing else stays the same in the world, the gospel remains our linchpin. It is the thing most vital to our organization. Everything we do revolves around that.
Yet, in this current time, we are finding the need to be even more flexible than normal. Considering the safety of our participants has always been foremost in our planning, and now we have elevated that to include new Covid protocols in all the countries where they will be serving, as well as US regulations. It has meant postponements, changes in routes, and cancelation of parent events and trips. All of these changes bring the question; What happens when God changes our plans?
When we look at Paul’s missionary journeys we see how he attributed his pivots to the Holy Spirit’s leading. Consider this passage in Acts 6: “Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia having been kept by the Holy Spirit from entering Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So, they PIVOTED and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a dream of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come to Macedonia and help us.” I changed the words passed by to pivoted to make a point. They shifted. They stayed the course of preaching the gospel, but they arranged the times and places on a day to day basis as directed by God.
It doesn’t talk about if they were disappointed, or if they were heartbroken when their plans were canceled. It doesn’t say they if they grumbled or were sorrowful when they were prevented from going where they had planned to go. They may have, but it is not recorded if they did. Instead, it tells how Lydia, one of the key women followers of Christ, came to know the Lord. It tells us how the gospel was spread to her whole family. It tells how a whole new region was opened for the gospel…all because of a pivot.
In Proverbs 16:9 it says, “A man’s heart plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” These words were not just for biblical times, they still apply today. When God changes our plans, we must seek his direction. He is not saying don’t spread the gospel or wait until later. He is creating a chance to pivot. We must look forward to where he is leading us and why. Is there a person he needs us to reach in this new direction? Is there someone where I am that needs his touch? Is he doing a work of trust in my own heart through this change? We can be sure he is not caught off guard. In scripture, he uses these pivots to accomplish his purposes. He does the same today.
Racers are learning to be in the moment and to go with the flow of his Spirit. They take even the smallest change in their daily schedules to seek God for the why. As parents, God is working too. We are learning to let go of our expectations. We are beginning to see this journey our kids are on is changing us, too. We are learning to pivot in a culture of schedules, calendars, and clocks. We are learning to answer the question of what to do when God changes our plans.
Here are some links to blogs written at the beginning of the pandemic when we were bringing all the Racers home. They still apply to the current times of uncertainty.
