Spread the Gospel and When Necessary Use Words

I am creating this blog mainly because it is a class assignment for my Practical Missions class but also to record my experiences in my spiritual life through the way of performing and studying mission work and community service. Things you will find in this blog include the matters which God places on my heart through out my walk with Christ this year. Hopefully the things I discuss can relate to those who read this. Other things you will find on this blog include things I learn in my missions class that I think are interesting, or my opinions about what I have learned.
Missio Dei translated means the "mission of God". To me that translates as the mission of spreading the Word of God, the good news about Jesus Christ. There are many different ways to accomplish this mission, but my favorite way can be summed up in a quote by St. Francis of Assisi "Spread the Gospel and when necessary use words". I like this quote because I am often a shy person and I feel awkward just striking up a conversation with someone about God, Jesus and their salvation; I am more comfortable serving someone out of love for them and showing them Christ through my actions and everyday life. Eventually, people will notice that there is something different about me, something different about the decisions that I make, the way I treat people and the way I act in situations. This way people end up asking ME about my faith and God, which makes me feel more comfortable. Also this way, they are more receptive to what I have to say, because they are truly curious and want to know what the deal is, instead of me forcing them to listen to my preaching. The problem with this is that I don't feel like I am making that much of an effort to spread the Word, because I am not feeling proactive, I am not taking myself out of my comfort zone just because I am afraid of rejection, and that seems selfish and cowardly. The up side to this method is that my actions can at least plant a seed in a person, and God can take it from there. I am by no means a christian who has it all figured out, and spreading the Gospel is one thing that I have struggled with my whole life, maybe this class will help me.
My expectations for the Practical Missions course is to learn about missions taking place in the world today, some famous missionaries of today and from the past, mission work happening in my immediate area, and how i can get involved in mission work today. Also I hope that I can benefit spiritually from this class and to gain experience in the mission field.