Do Not Lose Heart
Sometimes, you just know.
How many times does a young person get asked what they want to be when they grow up? Possibly hundreds, if not thousands? For Karly (not her real name) it wasn’t tough to answer. Whenever visiting missionaries came to the church, she was engrossed in their adventures. Picking up trinkets and pamphlets, studying the culture of the countries, pouring over world maps.
But knowing what you want and being able to accomplish what you want are not always easily reconciled. Such was the case for Karly. Struggling with a debilitating infirmary since childhood, she was stricken so severely that she was not independent enough to perform even normal daily routines. So much so that her understandably concerned, yet supportive, parents required her to demonstrate to them that she could manage to tie her own shoes (proving an ability to care for herself) before attending college in another city…a feat at which she succeeded a mere two weeks before classes started.
Just a simple question
Convinced that her physical challenges predisposed her to a life spent praying for and promoting other foreign missionaries rather than joining them, she became involved in the Missions Committee at college. It was during a related event that an encounter with another student sparked her to reevaluate her situation.
“Where are you going to be serving?” was the innocent question and an answer of “I can’t go anywhere.” did not suffice. In fact, it didn’t cut it for Karly herself and she began to reconsider overseas missions as a call on her life. Spurred on by the reading of “Let the Nations Be Glad” by John Piper, she determined to embrace it.
As a parent, I can only begin to imagine the objections, apprehensions, fears and disbelief that would rush to the forefront of my mind, and Karly’s parents were no different. The prospect of their daughter heading overseas, when it had not been long ago that she could not manage to tie her shoes, required some significant faith and prayer.
But God had a mighty grip on the heart of this young servant and there was no sign of it loosening. Wanting to honour her parents, she spent the next few years doing a Master’s degree, all the while praying for her parents to find the comforting assurance regarding her decision that only God can offer. Her decision, or so she thought, was to work among the Muslims in North Africa. Her dilemma was how to reconcile God’s call and her parents concerns when her life’s work would put them at odds. Prayer is an amazing thing, though, and eventually they were all experiencing that peace that passes all understanding.
Firmly convinced that she was going to Africa, she still respectfully sought the input of seasoned missionaries and, surprisingly, a different location was repeatedly suggested. This new option changed the landscape and, through a series of encounters and complications, Karly found herself not enroute to Africa, but to a previously unconsidered region with a people group whom she knew virtually nothing about. And such is the splendour and challenge of working for God…He may have other plans.
Her first step was language training. Initially, she spent 8 months learning the language of the predominant nationality and then an additional 3.5 years to learn the language of the minority people in whom she was particularly interested. Unreached with the gospel of Jesus Christ, there is to-date no complete bible translation available for them.
So sensitive is the region where Karly is working, that this specific people group is referred to as the “You” people in order to protect her and the work which she is doing among them.
Initially stationed in the northern part of the region, Karly responded to an invitation to move down to a more southern location where a greater concentration of the “You” people live. The offer was for a position working amongst them “peeling carrots” in a production facility which was about to be launched by the mission organization. A challenge which she eagerly accepted. Imagining the impact she could have standing daily with these women peeling carrots, getting to know them personally and speaking the truths of God into their lives exhilarated her. But somehow, “peeling carrots” morphed into investigating airflow systems for the new plant, researching the purchasing of packaging equipment, and a myriad of other management jobs which her Degree in Theology had ill prepared her for! Thank goodness for internet search engines. “What is an HVAC control system?”
If I were a betting man/woman…
The organization with which she is affiliated has the following vision statement:
We long that every “You” person would have the opportunity to see and hear the good new of Jesus Christ from someone they know and trust.
That seems reasonable and achievable until you realize that of the 3.5 million “You” people in the region, she knows of only five cross-cultural workers in the area who could clearly communicate the gospel in the “You” language. In addition to these five, there are another three “You” believers. Making a grand total of eight people who could clearly share the good news in the heart language of the people. :-( 😐 Not the greatest odds, I’m afraid.
But then, God really isn’t in to odds, is He? As He so aptly demonstrated to Gideon by dwindling his massive army down to 300 men to do battle with legions at Midian. (Judges 7:1-25) This to prove that the victory was the Lord’s!
And so is the hope of Karly and her colleagues.
I had to ask how this all works. If the operation is so clandestine, how on earth do you accomplish what you have been sent to do? She explains that, unlike other mission fields, including the one in your own backyard, there is no church to invite people to or groups of Christians to hang out with. You are on minute by minute. Every moment, every second, every encounter is a teachable opportunity to be seized.
Case in point. Working daily alongside the “You” people in her factory, she was recently in a unique position to demonstrate the humility of Jesus to women who had never seen a “boss” do something as menial as mopping a floor. Objections from the workers enabled her to explain how Jesus was sent not to be served but to serve and that, as a follower of Him, she was doing the same.
This method reminded me of how Jesus himself used every day events to deliver object lessons about God.
Worth it?
What, other than faith, keeps a person going through the trials of a battle such as this? Working 9 hours a day at a factory job among them– a demanding job in which she must continually learn new skills to manage and that experiences frequent interruptions in power and water supplies–and then searching for ways to integrate into their daily lives and form meaningful relationships to have any hope of sharing the gospel. I’m exhausted just thinking about it. But she is sustained by her steadfast trust in Jesus Christ and has already demonstrated a miraculous ability to adapt and fulfill seemingly monumental tasks with no prior training or instruction.
Fleeting glimmers of hope bring swells of joyous exuberance.
One such incident occurred unexpectedly as Muslim men became curious about the American women standing near the mosque before prayer time. Karly and friends were surrounded and peppered with questions about prayer and what it meant to them. Karly found herself hoisted onto a make-shift podium to share her belief about the power and meaning of prayer. How she shares her heart with God at any hour of the day, not just at select times. Her broken “You” was then readily translated by a man in the crowd whom she had never met. A translator was provided on the spot–now how’s that for a God Moment!
Or, seeing the eyes of someone light up the first time they encounter the written word and are astounded by the revelation that Lazarus was raised from the dead, or that David overcame Goliath (“I bet the little guy wins!”).
These are the morsels of sustaining nourishment captured and savoured by the sower of the seed.
Yet, Karly still finds herself under-satisfied with how much fruit has sprouted from that seed. Wouldn’t it be great to see countless come to the Lord? What is holding these people back?
Not surprisingly, one of the biggest hurdles is the threat of alienation or worse. People don’t feel that it is “worth it” to please God when all they can envision is the banishment from fellowship with family and friends which surely awaits them. With a prevailing “shame/honour” culture, and so few Christians to grow with, they consider it unbearable to accept this gospel and lose their community identity. The worst case scenario may result in imprisonment…a reality which weighs heavily on the hearts of those who came to share the news.
Just go!
Even with the difficulty of the task and the meager visible success, Karly’s advise to others who may consider serving in the mission field is simply
“Just go.”
Just go with the understanding that this is not a quick harvest. Just go with the realization that foreign missions takes a lifetime of dedication and belief that God is in the midst of it all. Just go with dependence on His protection and guidance, and just go knowing that there is no greater privilege than to witness His work being accomplished firsthand.
No place like home
Today, home is where the “You” people are and she visits all of them personally before coming back to Canada to spend time with her family. They are her people now and, despite all of the rigmarole she regularly encounters from bureaucracy, regular random police identity checks, lost mail, and utility failures, there is no where she would rather be.
Creature comforts missed? Not really. Except for maybe a really good burger!
Sometimes, you just know.
How many times does a young person get asked what they want to be when they grow up? Possibly hundreds, if not thousands? For Karly (not her real name) it wasn’t tough to answer. Whenever visiting missionaries came to the church, she was engrossed in their adventures. Picking up trinkets and pamphlets, studying the culture of the countries, pouring over world maps.
But knowing what you want and being able to accomplish what you want are not always easily reconciled. Such was the case for Karly. Struggling with a debilitating infirmary since childhood, she was stricken so severely that she was not independent enough to perform even normal daily routines. So much so that her understandably concerned, yet supportive, parents required her to demonstrate to them that she could manage to tie her own shoes (proving an ability to care for herself) before attending college in another city…a feat at which she succeeded a mere two weeks before classes started.
Just a simple question
Convinced that her physical challenges predisposed her to a life spent praying for and promoting other foreign missionaries rather than joining them, she became involved in the Missions Committee at college. It was during a related event that an encounter with another student sparked her to reevaluate her situation.
“Where are you going to be serving?” was the innocent question and an answer of “I can’t go anywhere.” did not suffice. In fact, it didn’t cut it for Karly herself and she began to reconsider overseas missions as a call on her life. Spurred on by the reading of “Let the Nations Be Glad” by John Piper, she determined to embrace it.
As a parent, I can only begin to imagine the objections, apprehensions, fears and disbelief that would rush to the forefront of my mind, and Karly’s parents were no different. The prospect of their daughter heading overseas, when it had not been long ago that she could not manage to tie her shoes, required some significant faith and prayer.
But God had a mighty grip on the heart of this young servant and there was no sign of it loosening. Wanting to honour her parents, she spent the next few years doing a Master’s degree, all the while praying for her parents to find the comforting assurance regarding her decision that only God can offer. Her decision, or so she thought, was to work among the Muslims in North Africa. Her dilemma was how to reconcile God’s call and her parents concerns when her life’s work would put them at odds. Prayer is an amazing thing, though, and eventually they were all experiencing that peace that passes all understanding.
Firmly convinced that she was going to Africa, she still respectfully sought the input of seasoned missionaries and, surprisingly, a different location was repeatedly suggested. This new option changed the landscape and, through a series of encounters and complications, Karly found herself not enroute to Africa, but to a previously unconsidered region with a people group whom she knew virtually nothing about. And such is the splendour and challenge of working for God…He may have other plans.
Her first step was language training. Initially, she spent 8 months learning the language of the predominant nationality and then an additional 3.5 years to learn the language of the minority people in whom she was particularly interested. Unreached with the gospel of Jesus Christ, there is to-date no complete bible translation available for them.
So sensitive is the region where Karly is working, that this specific people group is referred to as the “You” people in order to protect her and the work which she is doing among them.
Initially stationed in the northern part of the region, Karly responded to an invitation to move down to a more southern location where a greater concentration of the “You” people live. The offer was for a position working amongst them “peeling carrots” in a production facility which was about to be launched by the mission organization. A challenge which she eagerly accepted. Imagining the impact she could have standing daily with these women peeling carrots, getting to know them personally and speaking the truths of God into their lives exhilarated her. But somehow, “peeling carrots” morphed into investigating airflow systems for the new plant, researching the purchasing of packaging equipment, and a myriad of other management jobs which her Degree in Theology had ill prepared her for! Thank goodness for internet search engines. “What is an HVAC control system?”
If I were a betting man/woman…
The organization with which she is affiliated has the following vision statement:
We long that every “You” person would have the opportunity to see and hear the good new of Jesus Christ from someone they know and trust.
That seems reasonable and achievable until you realize that of the 3.5 million “You” people in the region, she knows of only five cross-cultural workers in the area who could clearly communicate the gospel in the “You” language. In addition to these five, there are another three “You” believers. Making a grand total of eight people who could clearly share the good news in the heart language of the people. :-( 😐 Not the greatest odds, I’m afraid.
But then, God really isn’t in to odds, is He? As He so aptly demonstrated to Gideon by dwindling his massive army down to 300 men to do battle with legions at Midian. (Judges 7:1-25) This to prove that the victory was the Lord’s!
And so is the hope of Karly and her colleagues.
I had to ask how this all works. If the operation is so clandestine, how on earth do you accomplish what you have been sent to do? She explains that, unlike other mission fields, including the one in your own backyard, there is no church to invite people to or groups of Christians to hang out with. You are on minute by minute. Every moment, every second, every encounter is a teachable opportunity to be seized.
Case in point. Working daily alongside the “You” people in her factory, she was recently in a unique position to demonstrate the humility of Jesus to women who had never seen a “boss” do something as menial as mopping a floor. Objections from the workers enabled her to explain how Jesus was sent not to be served but to serve and that, as a follower of Him, she was doing the same.
This method reminded me of how Jesus himself used every day events to deliver object lessons about God.
Worth it?
What, other than faith, keeps a person going through the trials of a battle such as this? Working 9 hours a day at a factory job among them– a demanding job in which she must continually learn new skills to manage and that experiences frequent interruptions in power and water supplies–and then searching for ways to integrate into their daily lives and form meaningful relationships to have any hope of sharing the gospel. I’m exhausted just thinking about it. But she is sustained by her steadfast trust in Jesus Christ and has already demonstrated a miraculous ability to adapt and fulfill seemingly monumental tasks with no prior training or instruction.
Fleeting glimmers of hope bring swells of joyous exuberance.
One such incident occurred unexpectedly as Muslim men became curious about the American women standing near the mosque before prayer time. Karly and friends were surrounded and peppered with questions about prayer and what it meant to them. Karly found herself hoisted onto a make-shift podium to share her belief about the power and meaning of prayer. How she shares her heart with God at any hour of the day, not just at select times. Her broken “You” was then readily translated by a man in the crowd whom she had never met. A translator was provided on the spot–now how’s that for a God Moment!
Or, seeing the eyes of someone light up the first time they encounter the written word and are astounded by the revelation that Lazarus was raised from the dead, or that David overcame Goliath (“I bet the little guy wins!”).
These are the morsels of sustaining nourishment captured and savoured by the sower of the seed.
Yet, Karly still finds herself under-satisfied with how much fruit has sprouted from that seed. Wouldn’t it be great to see countless come to the Lord? What is holding these people back?
Not surprisingly, one of the biggest hurdles is the threat of alienation or worse. People don’t feel that it is “worth it” to please God when all they can envision is the banishment from fellowship with family and friends which surely awaits them. With a prevailing “shame/honour” culture, and so few Christians to grow with, they consider it unbearable to accept this gospel and lose their community identity. The worst case scenario may result in imprisonment…a reality which weighs heavily on the hearts of those who came to share the news.
Just go!
Even with the difficulty of the task and the meager visible success, Karly’s advise to others who may consider serving in the mission field is simply
“Just go.”
Just go with the understanding that this is not a quick harvest. Just go with the realization that foreign missions takes a lifetime of dedication and belief that God is in the midst of it all. Just go with dependence on His protection and guidance, and just go knowing that there is no greater privilege than to witness His work being accomplished firsthand.
No place like home
Today, home is where the “You” people are and she visits all of them personally before coming back to Canada to spend time with her family. They are her people now and, despite all of the rigmarole she regularly encounters from bureaucracy, regular random police identity checks, lost mail, and utility failures, there is no where she would rather be.
Creature comforts missed? Not really. Except for maybe a really good burger!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.