Sitting in an English-speaking church in Quito, Ecuador filled with Christians from around the world gave me an indescribable feeling of gratitude. Knowing that I had brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world was awesome, but really feeling that connection with my “family” was an experience I will never forget.

Here I was thousands of miles from home sharing this incredible morning with fellow believers when I came to the realization that I had many more relatives in all corners of the earth. It was tangible. I belonged, I was connected, I was loved. Tears of joy were streaming down my face. I turned to my friend and fellow traveler and saw that tears were pouring down her cheeks as well. I will never forget that moment.

What made this morning particularly special at the English Fellowship Church were the goodbyes. Several families who had spent a great deal of time serving and working in Quito were heading back to their home countries, and the congregation was honoring them and sending them off with love. I did not know any of them, but I was family and I felt it.  

My trip to Ecuador, where I volunteered at an orphanage, For His Children, was far from my first mission trip—and it was not and will not be my last. In fact, I had already served alongside others many times, getting to know missionaries and their ministries and the people with whom they worked. While we may not see each other often or again here on earth, we are all connected.

How to be part of God’s global family

Not everyone has the ability to go on mission trips for financial reasons, time, or perhaps because it is simply a bit scary. That is okay. There are many ways to actively participate in God’s work both at home and worldwide.

Here are some ideas:

• Get to know some missionaries through your church or at missionary conferences and support them financially.
• Research their ministries through newsletters and pray for their specific needs and thank God for their praises.
• Write emails and/or letters of encouragement. Let them know that you are with them. Share in their accomplishments, their joys and their heartbreaks.
• Follow them on social media and keep up with their lives as they will keep up with yours. Be like family because we are family.
• Volunteer locally together with fellow Christians to help feed and nurture those who are hurting financially or otherwise.

We are all here to serve and to love as Jesus has loved us. Being a part of it all and just thinking about the family members that I have actually met, brings me gratitude every single day. 

I’m grateful to be part of this big, beautiful family

During two separate trips to Ecuador, I got to spend time with children in need and their warm and loving caretakers. Today I get to support the orphans both financially through sponsoring and by prayer. I get to rejoice when a child gets placed with a forever family and be sad when a developmentally disabled child reaches the age of 16 and therefore becomes unadoptable.

When I learned that a teenage girl that I met during a mission trip to Nicaragua had lost her mother during the birth of her baby sister, I was heartbroken for her. I prayed for her. One of the times I reached out via Facebook, she ministered to me by sending a picture that she had taken of me with her mother and other family members.

Recently, a British missionary serving in Cambodia, who I know and love, got married. I watched the ceremony online.

When close family members of mine were ill, these same people were praying. People around the world were praying for my personal needs.

I may not get to see many of these family members this side of paradise, but I am grateful to support them and be supported by them and look forward to the day that we will be together again. 

I am thankful for the relationships I have with brothers and sisters in Christ from around the globe and I am grateful for the opportunity to pray for their needs and praises and for their prayers that have covered me and my family in our times of need. We are all here on this earth to glorify God through service and I for one am grateful for the opportunity. I’ve also gotten much more than I have given.

Verses about being part of God’s family

So in Christ we, though many, form one body and each member belongs to all the others. 

Romans 12:5

I thank my God every time I remember you. 

Philippians 1:3

Meet Regina Marcazzo-Skarka

Where to find her . . .

• Website
• “Does Fear Have a Place in the Life of a Christian? Is It the Opposite of Faith? Can I Be Fearful Yet Still Have a Sense Of Peace?”
• Instagram
• Twitter

Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.

If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.

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If you would like to cultivate rhythms in addition to gratitude that will empower you live on mission in your neighborhood, check out Cultivating a Missional Life: A 30-Day Devotional to Gently Help You Open Your Heart, Home, and Life to Your Neighbors. This small book will help you make a big impact in your neighborhood as you learn to let missional living flow from the inside out. Get the 30-day missional living challenge free when you purchase the book.