A Life in Exile

I was thrilled to learn that a local church would be hosting a sending celebration for new missionaries, and I happily registered to attend. Not only was it a chance to be a part of an alumni dinner but it allowed me to be among the saints attending in support of those preparing to go to the nations. It was a great night, and my heart is always stirred when missions is the theme. Being able to listen to each of the almost fifty individuals and couples being appointed, I sat in wonder at what God was doing. Here are a few things I learned.

Christians are still answering the call to serve.

As each person moved to the microphone to speak, I sat in awe of the fact that men and women are still stepping up and sacrificing the comforts of home to go into the unknown for Christ. Since my return to the States fifteen years ago, I have been discouraged at the lack of missions emphasis in the local church. Children know little about who our missionaries are or what God is doing in the world. Little mention is given from the pulpit about missions and even less prayer for the need for more laborers for the harvest.

Still, somehow, God is speaking to hearts through the void, and believers are hearing and answering the call. Oh, how that encouraged me. God works despite the local church’s failings to emphasize missions or prepare the church for missions. I am so grateful for that and grateful for the faithful churches who do continue to support and teach about our need to go to the nations.

Short-term experience leads to long-term service.

Many of those who shared that night told of how God had used a short-term mission trip or initial term as an apprentice or journeyman to prepare them to return to the field in a long-term capacity. They were not deterred, despite hardships and trials. Why? Because the needs were great, and the call had not changed.

This was how God worked in my life as well. After a two-year journeyman term, I knew God was leading me to return as a career missionary to work among Muslims. I was so encouraged to see that God was continuing to use these “temporary” assignments to give people an opportunity to see just how great the need is for people to hear about Christ.

God uses a diverse group of believers to reach the nations.

For the first time, one of the couples being appointed shared their testimony in another language, requiring translation. I was thrilled. I cannot count how many nationalities were represented in that small group, but this couple was not the only one. They had immigration stories of their own to share, and now God was sending them to migrate “for a season” to another land.

When my husband and I were appointed in 1991, he was among the first “ethnic” missionaries sent by our organization. Now, in 2024, I rejoiced to see the nations going to the nations. It was no longer just a group of white Americans, but Americans of all colors and racial backgrounds. I know the sacrifice of a person who leaves the American Dream for the cause of Christ, as my husband was one such person. But I also know, as he would definitely say, there is no real sacrifice when a person is surrendered to the will of God. The American Dream is worth nothing in the face of the Eternal Reality in Jesus.

God is still calling us to the nations.

As the world grows dark and evil increases, we tend to hunker down and self-protect. The Great Commission, however, hasn’t stopped. God continues to call believers to go and make disciples of all nations, even when it seems to be increasingly hard to get to those nations. The people answering the call at that service were going to some hard places. Some required them to hide their faces from cameras and not share their real names. Still, God called them.

God also still calls believers, even in their weaknesses and fallibilities. The men and women I saw on the stage were not invincible or perfect by any means: they were ordinary folks, striving to be obedient to God. Will they make mistakes on the field? Yes. Will they fall to sin in service? Yes. Will they win hundreds to the Lord? Only God knows. What I do know is that God is faithful to give them everything they need to survive and thrive in service, even in the hard places. God is able to forgive when they do fail, and he will help them persevere to the end to his glory.

Join me in praying for those who are answering the call to spread the Good News. Thank God for his desire to use us for his purposes. May we all be found faithful in making disciples until the day of Christ’s return.

Grace and Peace

If you missed the last Mission Monday post, click HERE, or check out these posts about missionaries and harvest fields: Let Not Your Heart Be Hardened, When It’s Time to Go, Raising Up a New Generation of Missionaries, and Sitting Back in Wonder.