The idea of having a home stirs deep in my heart as we returned from our most recent trip to Barbados. We spent 12 years in the West Indies, eight of which were in Barbados in the 1980s. We have returned a few times since then to lead short-term teams, participate in school assemblies, help the local church, and teach classes. God willing, we will launch a training center there in the future. Every time we go back, God reminds us of His faithfulness and purpose for that season in our lives.

What did God do there? He allowed us to teach and build relationships with many dear people. I taught at the Barbados Bible Institute, led a youth group and worked in the local church, while my wife, Vivian, taught Bible classes local schools. Our time there was rich. Full of community, purpose, and life.

We experienced a true sense of belonging in Barbados. We felt connected to God’s purpose for us, used by Him, and at home with the culture and the people. In fact, sometimes Barbados feels more like home than anywhere else in the world, and we give God praise for that.

However, in all our love for the island, we remember that none of us are truly at home on this earth. Our eternal home is yet to come, and our lives should reflect our hope in the future.

As Vivian and I grow older, we hear the American culture say that we are entering the retirement stage of life and we should slow down and take care of ourselves. Then I remember what God is doing in Barbados. Disciples are being made, lives transformed, and young people are committing their lives to serve Him with all their hearts. Shouldn’t I continue to do the same?

My default is to retreat, rest, and do the retirement thing. But that is not satisfying! God has called us to make disciples and love Him all our days on this earth. I pray that God will give us each a new vision of how we can live and love like Jesus where we are and around the world.

Jerry Rogers and his wife, Vivian, served overseas for 12 years before returning to the U.S. to mobilize the next generation of cross-cultural disciple-makers.