Growing up in the church, I thought I knew missionaries. They were distant relatives, Sunday morning guest speakers, and youth returning from short-term programs. Their experiences were backdropped by beautiful mountains, deserts, and jungles. They ate exciting food. They led daily healings that led multitudes of people to Jesus. Even their struggles were exciting. Cartels would attack them, and secret police would chase them through city streets. The life of a missionary was colorful and explosive.
I’m not entirely sure where these conceptions came from. It’s likely that my young mind fused aspects of what these workers had shared with whatever Indiana Jones film was playing on TV. As I got older, I began to understand that the actual life of a missionary had some differences from the one that I envisioned as a child.
As I’ve worked at RI, I’ve been able to observe in closer proximity that the rewards and challenges of overseas mission work take a more nuanced shape than what I’d previously perceived. As with any lifestyle or field of work, there are intricate details that can be difficult to see or experience from the outside. RI’s vision statement is, “Jesus to the World, and the World to Jesus.” Implicit in this vision is an aspect of “bringing.” This requires a patient labor that is rewarding, but not always glamorous.
Planting crops involves multiple steps and processes, and takes time to cultivate.
Logistically, there exist many of the same complications that are present in any other organization or functional system. Just to name a few, there are Visa complications, job openings that need to be closed, and fundraising plateaus. These aspects can be frustrating and laborious, but are essential to the process of planting spiritual seeds.
Similarly, there are complications that exist relationally and personally. Overseas workers sacrifice proximity to friends, family, and an established church community. They face cultural hurdles as they learn new languages, environments, and customs. My childhood self didn’t consider these types of nuanced struggles. Of course, missionaries around the world face various types of persecution and security concerns, but those seemingly “larger” struggles don’t negate the “smaller” ones.
Planting crops involves multiple steps and processes, and takes time to cultivate. Overseas mission workers also involve themselves in work that may not bear visible rewards for long periods of time. There are often smaller victories that come before a spiritual harvest is realized. Workers experience this as they see a breakthrough in their language learning, finally have a spiritual conversation with a local after years of connection, or learn of the ways that their simple actions have served as a spiritual witness to a community that doesn’t share their language. Of course, we rejoice when people and groups come to Jesus, but we also rejoice in the victories that serve as steps in the planting process.
I’ve been challenged by RI’s overseas workers. Their commitment to this patient labor has caused me to look inward and examine if I act with the same commitment. Do I ignore the “small” ways that I can share the gospel, because they don’t feel drastic enough? Are there parts of me that effectively ignore the great commissioning because I’m not what would be perceived as a “missionary?” These questions, amongst others, have been largely influenced by the stories of bold perseverance in the workers that RI sends.
We know that the work of sharing Jesus is not absolved of labor. If anything, we know that this command increases our responsibilities. Paul compared the Christian life to that of a race (1 Cor. 9:24-27). He acknowledges the discipline and self-control that are required of the believer to obtain the imperishable reward of eternal life. This discipline and self-control extend to the spreading of the gospel, even if it defies our (my) desire for immediate and incredible change. May we all commit ourselves to a patient labor in sharing the good news. The work is well worth the reward!
Photo credit: Pieter Bruegel, the Elder. The Harvesters. 1565. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
One Response
So true! The church of Jesus Christ has many unsung heroes. I’m amazed at the way those Jesus praises for “feeding the hungry, visiting the prisoners…etc” are surprised when He says that they were serving Him in “the least of these.” Their good works were “automatic” and second nature, not glamorous and self-serving. “Let us not become weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.”