Email 
Bookmark 
Print Our World Gets Bigger all the Time
by Kevin Miller
By their own admission, John and Lydia Thiessen of Lethbridge, Alberta, are “no one special.” But that hasn’t stopped God from using them to share the gospel in countries on three continents, and they don’t think it should stop anyone else either.
Over the past several years, John and Lydia have had the privilege of making several short trips overseas with Campus Crusade for Christ, Canada. They’ve been to the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Central America. They’ve met with business and political leaders and they’ve tromped into remote villages along with the rest of their team to show the JESUS film to hundreds of eager viewers. On every occasion, they’ve been amazed at what God has done through them and their team.
It is so Exciting
“It’s so exciting,” says John. “At home we see a few people come to the Lord here and there. But over there, thirty-five percent of the people commit their lives to the Lord every time you show the JESUS film. I’d never seen that before. The ground is fruitful; I know that’s where we need to go.”
Lydia also emphasizes the relationships they’ve formed with various team members along the way.
“It’s been a wonderful experience. Our world gets bigger all the time. You meet people from other parts of Canada and the United States - excellent people - who have the same desire and burden as you do.”
Some Second Thoughts About Going
Prior to their first trip, John and Lydia do admit to having some second thoughts, even some fears. Lydia in particular was concerned about the food, cleanliness, opposition to the gospel, and even her own personal safety. But after much prayer, she felt her fears begin to dissipate. And when she made the trip, she found things were exactly the opposite of what she feared.
Says John: “The devil wants to stop us and give us those fears, but we need to trust God. It’s Jesus who gives us peace."
The Thiessens have also learned a number of lessons overseas that they have been able to put into practice back home. At the top of the list for both John and Lydia is a new perspective on our high standard of living in North America.
“You hear a lot of stuff about how poor people are, but you don’t really believe it,” John says. “But then you go to those countries and you see that every one of them is poor compared to what we have here. God really convicted me that we are to share with them not just about God, but share our physical resources as well.”
Lydia agrees.
“You get a good sense of where people are at - how poor they are. Yet in their poverty, they’re happier than many people here who have everything. It has shown me that I can be happy with a lot less.”
Going overseas as a couple is also important to the Thiessens. John has made one trip on his own, but they prefer to share the experience, because it’s often difficult for the person who stays at home to really catch the joy and excitement of what happened during the trip.
John and Lydia Highly Recommend Short-Term Mission Trips
They highly recommend short-term missions trips as something all couples should do together.
John and Lydia agree that couples who want to go on a missions trip need to meet only one main requirement:
“You have to care, you have to have a burden for people,” they say. “It’s really about whether or not you want to be obedient to God,” says Lydia. “It’s every Christian’s responsibility to share the gospel. God can use you over there. So if you sense Him calling, respond in obedience. You won’t be disappointed!”
Related Reading:
An outcast no longer
Live a life of purpose
Need advice? Ask us.