thought provoking book

More than a month ago at the Spirit West Coast Christian concert series in Del Mar CA someone handed me a book. It was called revolution in world missions. It was free so naturally I thought it must be a bad book. But I kept it and 3 days ago when I was looking for something to read I pulled it off my bookshelf and started reading. After the many pages of recomendations and testimonies about how great the book was I was ready to give up but I kept reading. Around chapter 2 I realized the author was saying what I'd been afraid to say for some time. The furthering of God's kingdom is often better served by local missionaries than American ones. Thats not to say that I think all Americans are useless on the foriegn missions feild. But more often than not native missionaries don't get the respect they deserve, and I don't minister to my native people as they deserve. It all comes down to where God calls me to serve. I respect his call above all others, but I'm starting to feel that its not the smartest way to spend my money living as a missionary in place where there are already native Christians who can witness to their own people. I have new found respect for Missionaries I know like Jamie shattenberg who spent years in the jungles of Madagascar reaching the truly unreached learning unknown languages to share God's love. I also think of the Luke Johnson's family living in the Congo. They lived like the congolese people. Luke came to boarding school in faded pants and out of fashion hand me downs. Living on an American salary was foriegn to him even though he had an American passport. How can you afford to be materialistic when you're living to reach the poorest of the poor. Like the apostle Paul their family adopted the culture around them in order to minister to them. If God calls me to the foriegn mission field that is the type of missionary I want to be. Sharing in the gospel in a place where there are no native missionaries, and in a place where I can try to adapt to the people's lifestyle. Right now I know my mission field is Ventura and I have to stop ignoring the fact that many of my friends, neighbors and classmates don't have a relationship with Jesus.