God gives new 'eyes' to see in first mission trip

Interview with Rebekah Barton
Rebekah Barton has supported missions for a number of years, but this summer she and her preteen daughter, Isabel, made their first mission trip - and it was half way around the world. Rebekah took time for an interview to share how God led her to Thailand and showed her once she took this step of faith. Read more.

Q: Good morning, Rebekah. Thanks for agreeing to share your mission story. To get started, many of us see you on the stage singing on Sunday mornings, but tell us a little more about yourself and your involvement with the church.
A: Oh, wow. As far as Crosspoint, I started as a teenager…maybe around 17. I started with the youth and started serving as soon as we began going here.

Throughout my life, God called me into ministry at other churches, and I later served as a worship leader in different places. Then, clear as day, God called me back to Crosspoint. I’ve been back now for about three years. Besides singing with the worship team and at women’s events, I love to use my passion for couponing and finding great deals to help raise money at Cruisin’ for Missions each year.

I have two beautiful children, Jackson and Isabel. I’m also an assistant at Saucier Elementary School. My main job is working with sixth graders, and I’m over the backpack ministry for the school. I also hold a Bible study for sixth graders here, and I love it.

I’m also an assistant coach for the Harrison Central High School softball team. I just love being busy.

Q: So you’ve been supporting missions from home - so to speak - for a while now. Tell me about what took you to Thailand.
A: Originally, it was my daughter, Isabel. I had always thought it sounded like a cool idea to go, but it was never something I imagined actually putting into action.

Isabel said, “Hey, Mom, that would be cool to go.”

And I said, “Yeah, that would be cool to go.”

Then she said, “Well, why don’t we go?”

I told her it was something we needed to talk to God about and make sure it’s something He wants us to be a part of. And, of course, there was also the financial side of it.
But she wasn’t satisfied with that answer.

I told her there was a meeting coming up, and I said, “One of the determining factors is that you’re young, and I don’t know if there’s an age limit. Let’s start there. If there isn’t an age limit and you can go, then we’ll talk further. If there is an age limit, then we’ll wait.”

So we went to the meeting and asked the question. They told us there wasn’t an age problem as long as she understood why we were going and, of course, as long as I was there with her.
She got super excited. She was like, “We’re going!”

And there I was making excuses again: “Well, you know, there’s the money part. There’s the financial side of it.”

She kept asking, “How are we going to go? Is this something we can do?”

I said, “I don’t know. It would be a lot for me. But let’s see how it turns out.”

And the Lord made a way. He helped us tremendously, and everything just fell into place. So really, it was my daughter who got me there.

Q: Tell me about your first experiences there. What struck you most when you arrived?
A: Oh, man. The travel was insane.

They talked about it beforehand, but I think it’s something you really have to experience. You hear them say, “There’s a 13-hour flight here, then another flight, and there’s going to be a layover. Make sure you bring this and do that.” And you’re like, “Okay, okay, I hear you.”

But you don’t really take in what they’re saying until you’re actually doing it. Then I was like, “Okay, I see what you were saying now!” I’m definitely better prepared for the next time.
Then finally getting to Thailand and actually arriving and seeing everything. It was such a culture shock. It was so different.

I was blown away by how beautiful it is, but also how different it is from here and from my everyday life. It was just eye-opening for me.

Q: Can you expand on that a little bit? What made it so eye-opening?
A: One thing was the people. I never came across a rude person. We were there for a week, and everyone genuinely was nice. It was refreshing.

Everywhere we went, we had good company and good experiences with the people there.
Then, when it came to the culture, it was eye-opening to see what people believed and to actually see it firsthand, especially when we went inside the temples.

To sit there and see people buying rice just to leave it as an offering to statues opened my eyes to why Doug and Paulette (Piper) are called there, and why we have a role in helping missionaries like them in Thailand.

As beautiful as the country is, behind that beauty, there is a lost country.
Seeing that made me think, I’ve got to get involved however I can. I’ve got to start praying for Doug and Paulette more. I’ve got to figure out what I can do. How can I help the mission effort there even more?

Now we’re already planning to go back next year. We’re doing it. We’re in. We’re in it for God and Thailand.

Q: And for Isabel, what impact do you think this mission trip had on her?
A: She turned 12 while we were in Thailand, and matured beyond that because of this experience. I believe God used Thailand to awaken her servant's heart. Her love for children grew as well. Now, she’s helping with babysitting at church and is wanting to get involved in more things. Before, she wanted nothing to do with little kids or to even get out much. She has told me countless times that she is ready to go back to Thailand and be a part of what God’s doing there.  

Q: Was there a particular moment during the trip when you felt like God really spoke to you?
A: Yes. At the end of each day the team had a devotional time and talked about what God was showing us. For me, the cleanup day at the school in Phayao was the day God spoke to me the most.

It was hot! There was only one air-conditioning unit in one of the rooms, and we had three levels of the building to clean. So, it got pretty toasty. There were spiders. It was dusty. You’re sweeping, fighting through cobwebs, killing spiders and just cleaning.

At first, all I was seeing was the work. God just stopped me while in one of the empty classrooms, and at that moment, I could see the posters on the board. I saw the tables. I saw the chairs. And then I saw the students who would be coming there, children and adults.
It was like God said to me, “I see what you don’t.” And for just a few seconds, it felt like He gave me His eyes and said, “This is what you’re doing this for.”

That moment stayed with me…and it made me look back at my own life and wonder how many times God has seen something coming that I couldn’t see. That was a powerful moment for me and a powerful reminder of how He is always there and at work.

Q: What would you want people to know about the experience that maybe you didn’t understand before going?
A: At the end of the day, Thailand needs Jesus.

It really opened my eyes to why Doug and Paulette (Piper) chose to go there. You see their school and ministry they are building, and the communities they are already reaching, and you understand why their hearts are so heavy for the people. You can truly see the calling on their lives.
 
They are ministering in a country where people have been told their whole lives, “You have to go to the temples. You have to make a sacrifice. This is the way.”

And some people are stepping out of that. There are students stepping out in faith and saying, “What you have, I want more of.

Some of them are losing relationships with their families. Some are stepping away from so much when they make that decision. So the need for prayer is huge. We need to pray for the people who are accepting Christ and responding to that conviction.
 
It is evident that God has them there for a reason, and there is a need for us as a church to be there alongside them - whether that is literally there on a mission trip, in our prayers or through our resources.