I received the emergency phone call well after the sun had gone down. As a missionary in northern Thailand, I had already worked hard that day and felt quite tired. It was one of our new Christian sisters who cried out in a panicked voice, “My brother is possessed by demons who are telling him to kill himself! Please help us, we don’t know what to do!”
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The feeling in the room was electric. After months of separation by lockdown, we were finally in the room together. Sure, we’d seen each other regularly on Zoom calls and the like, but to be together physically is something completely different. The joy we felt in the presence of each other went beyond words shared. The Apostle Paul must have known this feeling.
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I remember the day well. We were into our second year as missionaries in Mexico City. I remember the emotions I felt looking down off of a balcony and seeing my car parked on the busy city street. I had just received news that the paperwork for the car I bought upon arriving in the city was not completed accurately. The former owner still had keys to the car and the right to take the car back.
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If ever there were a year when we timed things right by planning to address resilience, it’s 2020! This year has demanded more resilience out of humankind than most, and the strain is showing up in a variety of ways, particularly among cross-cultural workers. If you’re feeling the long-term strain of 2020, please know this – you should be! You are experiencing a normal response to an abnormal year.
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More often than not, ‘missions’ makes no sense. We arrive on our designated field, full of ideas and visions, ready to serve and care for a particular city or village or community. But then we are rendered temporarily useless by waves of culture shock.
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What is the single most important factor in determining the effectiveness of a missionary? Is it love for God? Love for lost people? Evangelistic gifting? Prayer life? Cultural adaptability? Linguistic aptitude? Humility? Ability to discern the move of the Spirit?
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There are those who answer the call of God by opening their hands - and hearts - and letting go. They let go so the eternal treasures of Good News can be carried to far flung places in the mouths and lives of their own children and grandchildren. Their kids paid attention in Sunday School or during that mission report, and the Father started tugging at their heart, calling them to “go into all the world.” Wouldn’t you know, they took it personally!
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