“Christopher, what should we take to Thailand?” my wife asked. “And what should we get rid of?” Tough questions! Packing has always been hard for me, but when you’re thinking about the next six plus years of your life and ministry what do you take?

Shannon and I made out a list, itemizing more than two columns of stuff. Then she turned to a section in our AFM Orientation Manual called “What to Bring.” “O.K.,” I thought. “Let’s see how well we did. What are we forgetting?”

Shannon found an article that told the story of a missionary couple in Sri Lanka that was successfully bonding with their new neighbors. They were gaining friendship and respect and were being accepted in their new community as friends and equals. But then came the wonderful and dreadful day their shipment arrived. Finally, all their belongings had cleared customs and were sitting outside their Sri Lankan home, and all their poor neighbors gathered around in wonder. Eighteen barrels and two big crates full of stuff!

They watched wide-eyed as all of the Americans’ “wealth” was unloaded and taken inside. Suddenly those “filthy rich Americans” were no longer peers. An invisible barrier was now erected. The author sadly recounts, “Our possessions aroused our neighbors’ envy, conveyed wrong impressions, and hampered bonding.” And he wonders if perhaps that explains “the fact that in the years that followed, none of [their] converts came from [their] immediate neighborhood, but all from places some distance away.”

Wow! God forbid that we should spend six plus years of our lives unable to reach the Northern Khmer of Thailand because of what we could not leave behind! It was a little painful, but after one tough question and a passionate testimonial we’ve decided to limit our possessions to a few suitcases and plastic totes. It seems like so little to us. But then again, how much did Christ pack when He left Heaven? Jesus sacrificed all to reach us. What are we yet unwilling to sacrifice to reach His lost kids?

• Twitter