In a previous article, I shared the benefits of journaling the mission journey when we pen down our thoughts, prayers, and significant events. This practice helps remind us of God's providence and goodness in our lives. Journaling also helps facilitate our conversations with Him as we discover His hand at work in our lives even amidst the setbacks and challenges we encounter as missionaries. In this article, I will explore different journaling mediums, share my personal story of how journaling profoundly shaped my missions experience, and also discuss how journaling can share my personal story of how similarly impact others.
One Goal, Many Methods
Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. Jeremiah 30:2
Journaling is a deeply personal and creative process, and choosing the right medium depends on what feels best for you. Below are some common journaling mediums I have tried, each with its own unique benefits:
Traditional Paper Journals: With a paper journal, writing by hand can feel intimate and engaging, allowing for deeper reflection. When I first embarked on my long term missions journey overseas, one of the most precious gifts I received was a journal from a dear friend. My name was carefully written in calligraphy on the first page, with a note of encouragement. It was a thick book full of blank pages waiting to be filled. That first paper journal that was gifted to me was the start of a practice of deeply reflective writing while conversing with God. For me, paper journals are more effective for this than other mediums.
Digital Journals: In this digital age, with the smart phone as our constant 24 hour companion everyday, it makes perfect sense to use phone apps for journaling. Working in the mission field is often not desk-bound and this medium works best for this reason. I love digital journals for the ease of access, allowing me to quickly note down my thoughts when I am on the move and not at my desk. Its interactive nature also allows me to take photos on my phone and upload them immediately, creating a visual electronic scrapbook
Blogging: In my earliest years of journaling as a millennial of the eighties, maintaining an online blog was all the rage back then. I maintained a private blog as I wanted to keep things private. Many free platforms such as WordPress and Blogger offer the option to set entries to private or password-protect them.
Each of these journaling mediums offers a unique way of engagement, depending on one’s preferences for writing or typing. In different seasons of my life, I have alternated between these mediums, sometimes using multiple at the same time. Which medium is your favourite?
How Journaling Shaped My Personal Mission Experience
Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. Habakkuk 2:2
As I was preparing to embark on my long-term mission overseas, I decided to revisit some of my old journal entries on my private blog. Scrolling through the pages, I came across a brief, contemplative entry I had long forgotten. To my surprise, it contained a sentence that stopped me in my tracks: “This is the last job before missions.”
I was stunned. I had no memory of writing those words four years earlier, during a time when I was transitioning between corporate roles. How I wished I had written in greater detail back then! Yet there it was—a memorial stone, a marker in time—capturing a personal declaration I had made to God. Though forgotten by me, He remembered. He took those words seriously, honoured them, and brought them to pass, four years later.
The ways of God are mysterious and amazing, weaving together the moments of our lives in ways we can hardly foresee.
Be Prepared to Share Your Missions Journey
With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus. Luke 1:3
Journaling is a useful way to record and preserve the story of your missions journey for future generations.
One book that has profoundly shaped my heart for missions is the late missionary Harold Baker's detailed autobiography, Under His Wings. A regular page turner, his book is a swashbuckling tale of missionary adventure, detailing his pioneering work in Asia in places where there was no one to witness the things that happened. His quiet dedication laid the foundation for a generational and spiritual legacy that continues to resonate through the international impact of his granddaughter-in-law, Heidi Baker, today. If he did not faithfully record the events of his missions journey in Asia, we wouldn't have this gem of a book today.
When we journal, we weave together the intricate tapestry of our story as a missionary—thread by thread. We reflect on God’s work in our lives and we recognize the streams of living water that have flowed into us and will continue to flow out of us.
It is time to write the story of your missions journey together with God.
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