The Bigger Picture

When I first learned to drive, my dad gave me some great advice, "Never lose sight of the bigger picture." He trained me to constantly monitor what was happening on my left and right, in my rear-view mirror, and as far down the road as I could see.Over the years, I've realized that Dad's words apply not just to driving a car, but to other areas of life as well.

Jesus had similar advice when He spoke to His disciples about their role in the world. "...open your eyes and look at the fields!" (John 4:35) In other words, one of the first priorities for every follower of Christ is to cultivate a global perspective.

When my wife and I are taking walks, or I'm riding my bicycle, I sometimes catch myself looking down at the ground in front of me. I keep reminding myself to look up and take in my surroundings. It's a far more inspiring view. Life is too short to spend it staring at the ground.

Many believers don't take time to appreciate the grand sweep of God's redemptive plan in the scriptures and how God has uniquely prepared them to participate. When we lift our eyes, our hearts will be touched by the immensity of the harvest task, the scarcity of workers, and the spiritual readiness of many to embrace the good news.

"Never lose sight of the bigger picture." Through the years, Dad's advice has protected me from danger and distraction. And each time I lift my eyes, I am changed. I see things I never noticed before. The picture gets clearer, and my life takes on more meaning. My passion to connect "those who know" with "those who don't" grows.

How about you? Have you lifted your eyes lately?


During the month of May 2011, I and our ministry partner from India will be traveling around Maryland, Virginia, and surrounding states. We would love to meet you and speak to your church, youth group or home group. Email us at aimisson@hotmail.com to schedule a date and time to hear how God is doing a mighty  work in India.

$10 Goes A Long Way in India
Will you consider making a year-end, tax-deductible donation this Christmas of at least $10? If you would like to make a difference in a child's life please Donate Now. 


Prayer Points:
Pray that God will continue to work mightily in the land of India
That God will provide staff members for US office:
        Donor Development Director
        Children's Ministry Coordinator
        Short Term Missions Coordinator
        Multimedia & Communications Director
Pray for God's grace day by day. Satan is working overtime to discourage us, and
to prevent the vital work of this and other ministries working in India

Pray for the Adi Kshatriya of India

Population: Unknown
World Popl: Unknown
Main Language: Telugu                           
Main Religion: Hinduism
Bible: Complete
Status: Least-Reached
Christ-Followers: Few, less than 2%

Asia International Mission is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry. 

All gifts are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used as designated

The 10 Commandments of Short Term Mission Trips

Yesterday, I promised to post these this morning, so here goes:

1) Remember, the primary function of a short term mission trip is to partner with God in what He's doing in
    a given part of the world.

2) Always seek to serve those with whom you are partnering--whatever that may require.

3) Give up your expectations and be ready for whatever the Holy Spirit wants to do.

4) Be flexible.

5) Honor the authorities over you, including government and church authorities.

6) Leave a small financial and cultural footprint in the area that you're visitng.

7) Be a learner. Prepare for your trip by studying the culture or area that you're visiting,
    but also continue to ask questions and learn during the trip.

8) Be respectful of and sensitive to cultural differences.

9) Demonstrate integrity. Don't make promises about following up or staying in touch that you can't
    keep. If you do make them, then keep them.

10) Make prayer the cornerstone of the trip. Ask God what to do, where to go, and how to act each and every day. Endeavor to go deeper in the Lord through this experience, and look for signs of how He may be answering your prayers each day of the project.

Please feel free to comment on this entry. What would you add to the list?

Russ Sharrock and our ministry partner from South Asia, will be in Maryland, Virginia, and surrounding states during the month of May 2011. There are several dates still available. We would love to speak to your church or home group. You can contact me at aimission@hotmail.com for more details. 

Asia International Mission is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry. 

All gifts are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used as designated

What Is A Mission Trip?

Lately, I've been frustrated with what appears to be today's definition of "Mission Trip." For me "mission trip" is not synonymous with "service project." Personally, I don't understand this fascination with missions as a glorified form of public service. In my opinion, mission trips are much more than that.

A mission trip is not a vacation or a mere cross-cultural experience. It's just what it sounds like--a trip with a specific mission. According to scripture, the mission isn't necessarily giving handouts to the poor or even aiding long-term missionaries in their work. It's about sharing the gospel.

I know I'm probably stepping on some toes here, but please bear with me. I don't have a problem with helping the poor or doing disaster relief; in fact, I think those are wonderful activities to be doing on a mission trip, and AIM is involved in them all. However, I think those are the means, and not the end, of short term missions.

Quite simply, the end of any mission trip is the glory of God. It's not to just dig a well or see what it's like to be a "real missionary" for a week. It's to join the Lord in the work He is doing. Now, that may mean digging a well in Africa or planting a church in India. It may involve knocking on doors in Brazil or praying through the night in a dilapidated church in downtown Pittsburgh. It may even require you to lay down your life, just as Nate Saint did. Regardless, the point of the mission trip is not our cleverly-devised acts of service. It is obedience to God. 

We need to set aside our human agendas and make God once again the central point of missions.

Remember, It's not about us--our rules and systems and ideas. It's about Him.

Missions is not about us; it's about God.

Church, I think we're in need of a bit of revolution when it comes to how we approach mission trips.Quite frankly, I think we could stand to be a lot more daring. Let's stop bringing the high calling of missions down to our carnal level and instead seek to meet God in the work that He's doing in the world, even if it means that we have to redefine some commonly misunderstood words like mission trip.



Tomorrow I will be publishing the 10 Commandments of Mission Trips. So, be looking for it.

I would love to hear from all our readers.  Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think of these articles, or just what's on your mind.

Prayer Points:
Join us each week as we pray for the unreached people groups

Pray that God’s Name will be glorified as we continue to preach the Word 

Pray for a harvest of new believers in Asia

Pray for new partnerships to be formed throughout the world for spreading the gospel to south Asia
Pray for the continued funding of the new Children's Home

If you would like to be part of the amazing things God is doing now and in the coming days, please consider Donating Now to support the work of AIM. 

Or if you have a heart for children, consider Sponsoring an Abandoned Child and give them the gift of hope and love in the coming New Year.

There are still several openings left on next years mission trips. Go Here Now to check out all the opportunities and apply.

Asia International Mission is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry. 

All gifts are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used as designated

We Need More Power in Short Term Missions

What I mean by this is we need less of us, and more of the Holy Spirit. We need to stop thinking that we have all the answers for the developing world, and ask God what He desires.

We need to humble ourselves.

We need to seek the Lord's face.

We need more power.

Our modern humanistic approach to short term missions has, sadly, resulted in a weak form of ministry that doesn't look much like New Testament Christianity. We build a house or dig a well, say a prayer, and feel good about ourselves until next summer.

I have a sneaking suspicion that God wants more for us.

God's kingdom is not built on some shrewdly developed business plan (He can use those if He wants), but on the prayers of the saints, and often on the blood of martyrs. His rule and reign is established supernaturally when we choose to reject the ways of the world and trust completely in Him.

This means for some of us, we need to change the way we think and do missions. 

In short, we need to take more risks on mission trips. We need to be willing to surrender some of our schedule for a Spirit-led ministry. Because in risking, we find faith. And in faith, God is pleased and glorified. Plus, really cool stuff tends to happen.

$10 Goes A Long Way in India
Will you consider making a year-end, tax-deductible donation this Christmas of at least $10? If you would like to make a difference in a child's life please Donate Now. 

Prayer Points:

88.2% of all people groups in India still have not been reached. Pray for effective outreach and church planting.

Be in prayer for the persecuted church, being persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere. (Eph. 6:18) Ask that God would strengthen these who are enduring much suffering.

Asia International Mission is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry. 

All gifts are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used as designated

Is It Radical?

A few weeks back I finished reading the book Radical by David Platt, and it impacted my thinking in a tremendous way. If you're a Christian today, then there's a good chance you have heard the term "radical" used a great deal lately. It has been primarily used to reference some type of sacrifice or step of faith that a believer has made in their life. You might be labeled this if you decided not to get that big car, or gave up your dream of owning a nice house in the 'burbs. Maybe you decided to give up your Spring break at the beach this year and instead take a mission trip to a Third World country. Or, better yet, pay off the thousands of dollars you owe the bank--now that's radical!

Let's look at this from a different angle--is doing what you are called to do radical? Doing something about the thousands of children that die each year from preventable disease, fighting against the sex trade in Asia, or just forgetting about your own desires and serving others--is it radical to do things like this, or is it simply what is expected of us?

"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'"
(Luke 17:7-10)

Please consider making a year end Donation Now to complete the construction of the new Children's Home. A small amount goes a long way in India.

Prayer Points:
Thank God for His Son—a gift too wonderful for words! (2 Corinthians 9:15)
Pray for the 6916 remaining unreached people groups to have the gospel presented to them in a manner they can understand. Ask that reproducing churches would be established in each of these cultures.
Pray for the Muslim people in India; that they may hear about the grace and promises in the Messiah.

Pray for the Adi Baugar of India

Population: Unknown
World Popl: Unknown
Main Language: Kannada
Main Religion: Hinduism
Bible: Complete
Status: Least-Reached
Christ-Followers: Few, less than 2%

 Asia International Mission is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry. All gifts are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used as designated.

Please make checks payable to AIM

                                                Po Box 1597

                                                Stillwater, OK 74076

Accountable For How We Live

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did 
for me." (Matt 25:40)

On the week before Jesus was to be brutally killed, the disciples could feel the pace of events picking up
speed. They were concerned about how everything would end. (Matt 24:3) In Matthew 24 & 25 Jesus gives
them a glimpse of the culmination of human history. Since then, His followers have written down the details as they were revealed to them  about how it will all play out. Theologians have a whole area of study called eschatology to encompass their theories and guesses.

Growing up, I remember a fascinating curiosity about the impending end of all thing. The book "The Late Great Planet Earth" by Hal Lindsey sold millions of copies, and we evangelicals hunkered down in our paranoia and entirely missed the point Jesus was making.

His point was that God has an expectation of man. We don't get to live our lives just for our own pleasure. A day is coming when we will answer for how we lived, and there will be criteria applied in assessing the quality of our life. We will be separated into two groups, and He will look at one thing about our lives: How did we love those in need?  He feels what they feel. His heart breaks for the pain He sees down here. He wants ours to break as well so that we will act in His stead to alleviate that pain.

The question is, knowing this, how will we live our lives? There are so many distractions and so many ways to miss the point. And I guess that breaks His heart too.

God help me, God help us all as we answer that question.


In 2011 we want to increase the number of Bibles available for distribution, help more children, widows and lepers, and bring the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ to more people. Please Give Now that this ministry might grow for the glory of God. 

In the days ahead we will be listing some possible staffing needs here at AIM, so please begin praying now how God might want to use YOU for His glory.

If you live in MD, VA or surrounding states, and would like an opportunity to hear firsthand about what God is doing in India, please Contact Us to schedule a visit with Russ Sharrock and our ministry partner from Tenali, India during the month of May 2011. There are several dates still available.

Prayer Points:
Please be in prayer for our president, Russ Sharrock, as he prepares for surgery on his legs
Pray that more people will respond to God's call to work for the harvest
Pray that many new souls will open their hearts to the gospel
Pray that donations will continue to come in for the completion of the new Children's Home

All gifts are tax-deductible and are used 100% as designated

Kissing Their Scars

In 2008 "Slumdog Millionaire" came on the big screen and ultimately swept the Oscars, winning eight awards including best picture. I had an opportunity to view the movie on a British Airways flight to Hyderabad in 2009, and was amazed at both the cruelty and beauty of the poverty and the people portrayed in the movie. Two of the children in the movie are actually from a slum in Mumbai. They were on the stage at the Oscars among all the glitter, lights, fame, and fortune. But soon, they went back home, back to the slum and the life, to the life they knew before the cameras and fame.

As the movie ended, I felt a sense of helplessness.How can you effectively impact and nation with over a billion people and so much suffering? What do you say to a child who has tasted wealth and fame, but not known the security of a permanent home? Are we just fooling ourselves into thinking we can really make a difference?

Throughout the whole movie, the star pursues his true love, searching for her, never forgetting  her, and never giving up. At the end of the movie, they embrace and he kisses the scar on her face that represents all the pain, the suffering, and evil that has happened to her. And in that kiss it is all washed away. The pain, the suffering, the years of separation; it's a beautiful picture of what God has done for us. He never quits pursuing us, He never loses hope, He kisses our scars and heals the pain that dwells within.

And that is what we can do also. It's too overpowering to think about trying to bring change to India as a whole. The pain is overwhelming. But even though I may not be able to bring massive change, I can be used by God to pursue a few people. To not give up, to remember, to pray; to see God kiss their scars and bring life again.

I have no idea what I would say to those children returning home to poverty. I would want them to know that wealth and fame aren't the only way to a better life. That joy and contentment can be found in the slum too. But who am I to say these things when I live so well?

Maybe the best thing would to just bend down and kiss their scars.

Prayer Points:
Remember that Jesus came that the whole world might be saved
Pray that the Holy Spirit will speak clearly to the people and that many will respond

Pray for Adhori of India

Population: Unknown
World Pop: Unknown
Main Language: Hindi
Main Religion: Hinduism
Bible: Complete
Status: Least-Reached
Christ-Followers: Few, less than 2%

"Declare his glory among the nations" Psalm 96:3