“You know that you won’t be able to return to the field for at least 5 years, don’t you?”
The doctor and I looked at each other then at Steve. I knew she was right. We had just been evacuated because my husband had serious complications after suffering from dengue fever.
Even though she was right, her words were very hard to hear. I had been dreaming of being a missionary for 18 years. For 3 years we had done the hard yards of learning the language, coping with political unrest and surviving natural disasters. Finally, we were about to start a new team in a different area, doing the sort of work we were passionate about, when all of a sudden, thanks to one mosquito, all of our plans were crashing around us.
It took six months for Steve’s health to recover enough for us to start working for OMF in Australia. We had the joy of working with a group of volunteers in South Australia to mobilise churches for mission. We organised events, trained short term teams, and spoke at different places about mission. We met with other people interested in mission and journeyed with them as they sought God’s direction. We met with returned missionaries and encouraged one another.
At the end of the 5 years, Steve’s health relapsed. It seemed the door to returning to the field was permanently closed.
Our passion for missions hasn’t stopped, but God has definitely led us in a different direction to what we expected. Through the trauma of being evacuated, we discovered just how important it is for a missionary to have a good support base behind them. Through our work in Australia, we learned that God needs people in a range of roles, many of which don’t require them to leave home.
He needs people passionate about mission to get involved by praying, getting giving financial support, encouraging others to consider mission, teaching and learning about mission, and providing emotional and practical support for people who do go.
Don’t get me wrong. The world needs far more people to go overseas to share Christ than are currently doing it. But I also want to encourage you that if serious things are standing in the way of you going, maybe God has a plan to use you in growing his kingdom right where you are now. Or maybe you aren’t ready yet. Don’t let that stop you from reaching out to someone in your own community now, or supporting someone else as they go, or helping to get a church involved in mission. Maybe like me, your role in mission will be different to what you expect.
Next steps
What can you do to support mission in the place where you are now?
