What does it mean to be a missionary?

I know that I had many stereotypes before becoming one. I've known many missionaries over the years, but in my mind, a missionary was a very godly person going to a poor country where the only real goal was evangelism. While this isn’t completely wrong, there is so much more to it than that. Sharing the gospel is definitely priority, but in doing this, it is also about building relationships, caring for individuals and their needs.

Missionaries are normal people. There is little that makes us different, the only thing really being that I have been sent to a foreign land. Otherwise, like any Christ follower, we are trying to spread the gospel through our actions and our words. I think before I came on the field, I thought that many missionaries were better than the average person, that they somehow were above normal struggles, that even in the hard times, they would never question God. But what I’ve seen is that it is no easier to trust God and see his faithfulness on the mission field than in every-day situations. What I do see is that as we begin to do God’s work, we come under attack, and unless we pray and support each other, it is very easy to give in to despair.

Friday morning, at the Bible study my team leader is leading for all of us interns, we looked at Mark 6:30-52. This includes the very familiar passage of Jesus feeding the 5,000. One thing we looked at was the context of this story. This miracle happens right after Jesus sent out the disciples 2 by 2, without him, into all the surrounding lands to preach, perform miracles and to heal the sick. The disciples had just gotten back and were giving a report to Jesus of all they had done. Just as he was telling the disciples to rest and take a break after their time traveling, a large crowd gathered because they recognized Christ and his disciples. But Jesus did not turn them away. Instead he did three things. He SAW them: he saw their true condition. He understood where they were. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd. He then had COMPASSION on them. He empathized with them and ultimately provided for their needs by TEACHING them. I think this is a good example of how we are to live our lives. We are to see people for who they are and to see where they are. Then we need to show compassion by seeing their needs. One thing that is important to remember is that we are not the shepherd. We are also sheep, but since we know who the shepherd is, it is our calling to introduce the other sheep to him. It is not our job to make people believe. We are here to bear witness about who Jesus is and what he has done in our lives. Seeing people as Jesus sees people allows us to love the way that Jesus loves. We exist so we can declare the excellencies of Christ to people caught in the darkness by which we were once enslaved (1 Peter 2:9-12).

This year God has been teaching me so many things about trust, patience, compassion, and His sovereignty. I have had to rely on Him more and more, and I can see Him working in our team, in our work, in our relationships. While there have been struggles and difficult times for many of teammates and roommates this year, it is clear that He holds us all in hands.

“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” ~Isaiah 41:10

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. Every time I receive a note from one of you letting me know that you are praying, it brings me great encouragement! I pray that God will bless you and keep you all in this new year! :)