By Katie Ginn
Last year, by God’s grace, I met a lofty goal for MCL business revenue. My reward was a long weekend with Stephen in Hot Springs, Arkansas!
We made the five-hour drive in March, during our busiest time of year. From January through April, we have five immediate family birthdays, Easter, and our anniversary, plus Stephen and I each have a work-related event.
This year, in addition to all of that, my brother and I each caught the flu, and his turned into pneumonia. Imagine playing “52 card pickup” with a calendar while still trying to manage a Valentine’s date and bathroom tile repairs. Oh, and Stephen was sneezing, coughing, and hacking his way through the worst allergies ever. By March 20, we were ready for a break.
Dear readers, we got one. Hot Springs exceeded our expectations.
Our AirBnB offered a gorgeous view of Lake Hamilton, just 20 minutes from downtown. We ate so much tasty food: pizza at Grateful Head Pizza, filets at 501 Prime (make a reservation), cheeseburgers at Superior Bathhouse Brewery, and sushi at Osaka. Oh, and I almost forgot Scoops Homemade Ice Cream. Y’all, we went twice. No regrets.
Downtown Hot Springs is adorable, walkable, and includes access to the actual hot springs for which the city is known. Also downtown, we shopped at a boutique called Podunk Annie’s, where I bought my brother a T-shirt featuring a skunk playing bass guitar, with the words “Put some stank on it!” (If you don’t get that, I can’t help you.)
We visited Quapaw Baths & Spa, where you can soak in the famous hot springs in a public bath. We had to wait for two spots to open up (get there early), but the bubbling hot water soaked away all stress, and I walked out relaxed and happy. Next time we’re going to book a spa package!
We also explored Garvan Woodland Gardens, where thousands of tulips happened to be in “peak bloom.” The flowers were unreal, and the park was a nice place for a walk. At dinner at Osaka, we met a friendly local couple who were regulars and gave us tips for our next Hot Springs visit. We intend to go back, hike, rent a kayak – and eat more Scoops ice cream.
This edition of MCL is our Travel & Missions Issue, and you can probably tell which of those I tend to favor. But here’s the thing: You do not have to go on a mission trip in order to “do missions.”
When Jesus says, “Go and make disciples” in our English Bibles, that phrase could be translated, “As you go, make disciples.” That doesn’t excuse us from supporting global missions or from making disciples wherever we live. We can and should do both.
As you go to the grocery store.
As you go on a mission trip.
As you go on vacation.
As you go visit family.
As you go home and see your neighbors.
According to the Pew Research Center, 77 percent of adult Mississippians identify as Christians. Even if all those “identifiers” actually know Jesus, that means 23 percent, or more than 1 in 5, do not.
In some ways it can be harder to share your faith in the Bible Belt, where such a large portion of people claim to love the Lord. But imagine if you thought you were saved, and you weren’t, and nobody ever got to know you well enough to question you on it. Where would you be?
As for missions, God might call you to sell your stuff and move to a foreign country like our cover lady, Mickie West. He might call you to a short-term mission trip overseas. He might call you to an even shorter trip to the Delta.
Or He might simply call you, as He’s calling me, to keep texting that friend and don’t give up; keep praying for people you know who don’t know Jesus; keep asking Him for opportunities, for relationships, for the words to say; and make disciples as He leads.