Living faithful, fruitful and fulfilled on the mission field
“Ughh. Not again! Another day of language learning. Why not quit? I can already understand and speak more than a lot of people.” These, and other negative thoughts cross my mind as I stare at my language books. Language learning is hard work. You need …
When we go on dates, I like my husband to open the door for me. When he walks around and opens the car door, I feel special, loved, and valued. For some people that doesn’t matter much. I guess I am a bit of an …
A week ago today, my mother-in-law, Sylvia Anderson, went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As you approach middle age, you know your parents will not live forever. That doesn’t make it any easier when the time comes for them to go. Their stable, comforting, encouraging presence, their prayers, love, and help are not easy to let go of.
The night of her passing, I moved with my husband into her home to care for and be a support to her grieving husband, my father-in-law, Jerry. I wanted, together with Todd, to do everything I could to serve and help him through this tragic loss. Yes, though she was 83, and not in an accident or anything, it is always a tragic loss when you lose someone you’ve been married to for 65 years.
It’s been painful to stay here and has made me miss her so much. Stepping into the role of the female in this household… let’s just say they are shoes I could absolutely never fill. She was an amazing homemaker and hostess.
When Todd and I were dating and first married, I was quite intimidated by her baking and cooking. She always had these amazing caramel rolls she’d make for us, and her freezer was continually full of cookies and bars…at least six different kinds. They were ready to be pulled out and served to anyone who might stop by to visit. Mom Anderson never expected me to be like her and always made me feel welcome, but still, those were big shoes to fill.
When Todd and I prepared to go to Nepal for the first time, I was three months pregnant with our daughter Jenna. She would be Sylvia’s first grandchild. Not once did she speak a word about the pain of us leaving them, or giving birth to their first grandbaby on the other side of the ocean. She cried many tears when we said goodbye, but never in any way tried to discourage us from going. I know it was hard for her. I realize it even more, now that I am a grandma, living far from my precious grandkids. Sylvia supported and believed in the cause we were working for, and was willing to release her son and family to serve God. Mom Anderson always put Jesus first.
Upon returning to the USA every three years or so, we were welcome in their home. Though I was terrified of ruining her beautiful white carpet with our toddler’s spills or breaking something lovely, she never made me feel that way. We were always picked up at the airport by mom and dad, with all our luggage, and brought to their house.
Since I grew up in Africa, and my parents were still on the field, I didn’t have a home that I lived in for many years as Todd did. The house in Lakeville, became an anchor, a place we always came home to. It gave me a sense of rootedness. It feels so strange to be here without her. I miss her greatly.
The strange reality of death is part of the cycle God designed. We know that He is absolutely and only good, so this too must in some way be good. Yet it is hard. It is a suffering we must bear. I feel for Dad Anderson, and can’t imagine what it would be like to lose my husband. Why God created this passing to be such a loss, I cannot comprehend. Why we must come into the world helpless and leave it in pain I don’t understand. What I do see is that in our suffering, we are carried by Him. In difficulty, we draw near. And that, is a good thing, for it is there close to Him, that our souls truly live.
I am not much like my mother-in-law. She was a quiet homemaker who mostly stayed within an hour of her home. I am a world-traveling speaker, podcast host, and missions leader. What I have learned from her, though, is the power of discipling your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren well. She loved her family and always had time for them. She was generous toward them. Sylvia made sure they knew they were loved. Faithful in her church, her relationship with the Lord, and in practicing spiritual disciplines like prayer and Bible reading was exemplary. Her husband was her top priority, next to Jesus, and she served and loved him well. I hope in those ways I can be like her.
I miss you, Mom. This world is not as nice without you here, but we will carry forward your legacy.
Goodbye for now, until we meet in Heaven.
“I don’t have connections and contacts with people I could raise support from. I don’t know any __________________.” Fill in the blank. Some would say I don’t know pastors. Others would say I don’t know many foreigners. Some would say all my friends are fellow …
“Jesus is not looking for converts to Christianity; he’s looking for apprentices in the Kingdom of God,” writes John Mark Comer in his book Practicing the Way. This book is a refreshing and insightful encouragement to 1) Be with Jesus, 2) Become like Him, and …
Looking to our own resources and abilities can be discouraging. The task seems so big. We seem small. When I was young, I thought I could take on the world. As I’ve grown older, life’s experiences have taught me how fallible I am. Apart from God, there isn’t a whole lot I have to offer. Yet that little, in the hands of a mighty God, is more than enough.
Several times each day, we get messages from missionaries suffering financial hardship. They struggle to make ends meet. They are serving the Lord in their contexts, with great commitment, heart, and faith. They often see miracles of healing or deliverance.
But money…that’s another story. Many feel they need financial help from the West. They hope to find a wealthy American or European sponsor to invest in them and their projects. There is nothing wrong with that, per se. It’s not, however, an effective or reproducible strategy for fundraising and ministry.
Perhaps more importantly, it falls short of what God wants to do in and through their lives. God is more than able to provide for us in our context. He often does this by using what we already have in our hands, as we offer it back to Him.
There are two stories in the Bible I’d like to consider related to this issue. Let’s begin with the Old Testament.
In the book of 2 Kings, we find an interesting story about a widow (2 Kings 4:1-7). Her husband served in ministry. A prophet among many prophets, he had passed away in a time of great economic difficulty in the land. As was the custom in those times, the debtors she’d been buying food and supplies from were threatening to take her two sons as slaves. She desperately needed to pay what she owed.
The woman approached Elisha with her tremendous need. His response is interesting. The prophet asks her two questions.
Her response spewed out of her trembling lips. “I have nothing at all,” she exclaimed. I can picture her frustration at the prophet’s question. Why would he ask that? Hadn’t he been listening to what she had said?
Knowing he was a prophet, and wanting to be completely honest before the man of God she adds, “except a small jar of olive oil.” Her cupboards were bare, but they were not empty. Not completely empty anyhow.
That offering of oil was enough. More than enough for God to work with.
We know the rest of the story. Elisha instructs her to gather jars from her neighbors, as many as she could find. She then pours the little she has out into the neighbor’s vessels and…God does a miracle. The oil does not run out until all are full. Selling the oil, she pays her debts.
Even more well-known is the story of the feeding of the great crowd found several times in the Gospels. In the book of Mark, we see Jesus did this same miracle in two different locations; once near Bethsaida, and again in the region of the Gerasenes. Both times he used loaves and fish provided by someone in the crowd and fed thousands. See this helpful comparison of these two miracles if you’d like to study it further. http://rosetta.reltech.org/UTSA/HUM3223/Feedings.pdf
Any time you find a story repeated in scripture, it’s notable. Jesus wants us to sit up and pay attention. He did this provision miracle not once, but twice. The disciples (and we today) must have needed a repeat lesson on this one!
In the first instance, found in Mark 6:30-44, the story begins with a strange command from Jesus. Though aware of the situation (thousands of hungry people), the Lord commands His disciples, “You feed them.” How in the world were they going to do that? It was beyond difficult. This was a humanly impossible command!
Their response was incredulous. That would take way too much money! Finances we obviously don’t have Jesus! He then asks them a question. “What do you have?”
Notice the similarity to Elisha’s question.
He then tells them to “go and see.” They return after realizing that they actually do have something. It isn’t much, but it is definitely something. It is more than enough for Jesus. Taking and blessing it, that bread and fish are broken and distributed. It feeds thousands.
These stories are definitely about material provision. The widow needed actual food and money to pay her debt. The crowd was physically hungry. They teach us more than that though.
There are many kinds of emptiness Christian workers face.
Whatever your situation, God is asking the same question He asked in those stories.
What do you have? Look beyond emptiness and see what He has given. There is always something. Offer it to Him. Then listen to what the Almighty God says to do. Simply obey, and watch miracles begin to happen.
With God, what we have, is always more than enough! He is the same God today as He was in the time of the widow or when the hungry crowd had gathered.
How do these stories encourage you or apply to your situation? Let us know in the comments below or on the Missionary Life Facebook page.
“Jesus can do anything,” we say. Except for when He can’t. “What? Are there things Jesus can’t do? Isn’t He the God of the impossible,” you might be thinking. Yes, there are some things He cannot do. And there are many things we cannot do. …
It’s been described in various ways. Sometimes it’s called a dark night of the soul. Sometimes it’s called burn-out or depression. Mid-life crisis is another name that is used. These are times when we seem caught in an unending period of transition. God is mostly …
Join me on an imagination exercise. Think of that day when you first see Jesus face to face. What an incredible moment that will be! Just gazing at His incredible beauty. My heart longs to see Him! I wonder, will He say to me – Well done, faithful one? I truly believe He will!
I imagine myself falling at His feet in worship, tears of joy streaming down my face. I picture him reaching out His hand. He lifts me to my feet, looks into my eyes, and says, “My beloved.” We embrace for a long time. He speaks gently to me again, looking into my eyes, and says, “Well done my good and faithful one.” My heart soars with unspeakable joy, and a huge smile lights up my face!
It is my imagination now, but one day…one sweet day…I will see His face. I hope to hear those precious words stream from His lips.
As Jesus’ followers, we all want Him to one day say, “Well done. You were faithful“!
How do we live faithfully in His service, so that dream will one day be a reality?
Living faithfully on mission with God is about stewarding what God gives. It is opening our ears to hear His guidance and becoming the kind of person the Father shares His heart with. He speaks His mind to those He trusts to faithfully respond.
A faithful missionary life includes:
I was praying in my hotel room one day. We were on a trip to a new city. I had oversight responsibility for our mission’s work in that area but only had a handful of staff and much to do.
Spending time with God, I felt connected. As I sat before the Lord, an unusually strong sense of conviction rose within. “There needs to be a large missions conference here. I want to mobilize thousands of young people from this place to reach the unreached.”
“Wow, God! That is awesome!” I responded in prayer. “I wonder who you will use to do that.”
The idea was brilliant (Obviously! All His ideas are right?) I was curious about what He’d spoken to my heart. There were many Christians in our part of India. They could be sent to the unreached nearby. As I continued to listen, God revealed more. I began to see pictures in my mind. They further described the things He wanted to do.
I somehow knew this was from Him. He had spoken so distinctly in my heart. God’s leading isn’t always this clear to me but this time it was! But what should I do with this rhema word?
For a few days, I continued to pray and listen. I then shared what I believed God had spoken with my husband and a few other team members. Each one confirmed it, agreeing that what I sensed was from the Lord. (This is an important thing to do when you sense God directing you. The confirmation of leaders and spiritual mentors is key to hearing God’s voice without going astray.) Taking the next step, I began talking with fellow leaders.
Some of them had led large conferences before. I asked, “Would you be willing to come and lead this kind of gathering in our area?”
Since I believed this was from God, I shared passionately. Strangely, none of them responded with a “yes” to take this on.
One leader I had known a long time, listened with interest. “It sounds like God is speaking to you,” he said. “Maybe, if God gave you the vision, you are the one who is supposed to lead this.”
“Awwwkkk! Not me!” I thought. I had never led a meeting for more than around a hundred people. The vision God was showing me was of thousands and thousands of young people released into missions. My friend’s words stuck with me like glue. I couldn’t shake them off. I knew being faithful to what God spoke meant I would need to step out in faith. I’d need to take risks to obey.
To make a long story short, two years later, we hosted a missions conference with 1,500 day-time participants and around 10,000 in the open-air evening meetings! When the main speaker canceled, I gave the final night’s message to the huge crowd. Hundreds of youth streamed to the front, responding to the call to reach the unreached. It was utterly amazing! What a blessing to obey and watch what God does!
In the Matthew 25 story of the Minas, faithfulness meant taking what was given and multiplying it. The servant who was faithful put his mina (coin) to work. He didn’t leave it sitting, or bury it. He invested it.
Being faithful is not only about the physical things we are given. It is also about the dreams, vision, guidance, and desires God has shared with us. It’s about walking them forward, step by step.
First, we position ourselves to hear God speak. How do we do that? We need to be the kind of person He would share His dreams with! That means developing a life of intimacy with Jesus. On the mission field, it is easy to get busy with ministry, projects, and even the constant pressures of doing what it takes to live life in difficult locations. Times with God can become rushed, routine, or even mundane. We do our missionary duty and have our devotions, but sometimes there is no life. The sense of closeness fades. God wants to draw us into that place where we can pour out every concern to Him. He also wants to share His longings with us, His dearest friends.
Are you actively seeking to hear His voice? Have you positioned yourself as a friend God can confide in?
Given a chance, God will speak. He wants to talk to His followers. There is much on His heart! He has plans to solve the world’s worst problems through His people. Creative solutions wait to be released. There are mountains He wants to move. During the recent pandemic, I often wondered…what would happen if Christian scientists started listening to God’s solutions for this global issue rather than looking only to scientific wisdom and knowledge.
Once He speaks, how do we respond? Faithfulness is demonstrated by action.
We don’t have to be perfect. God does love it, however, when we take immediate steps of faith. Most likely, the things God has spoken, are much bigger than your capacity, skills, and experience. Is Jesus calling you, like Peter, to get out of the boat? To walk on water? Trust Him and step out in faith.
A good steward not only takes initial steps of faith. They continue to walk by faith until they see the dream of God fulfilled. This requires perseverance. We face obstacles, difficulties, and spiritual warfare as we move forward. What do we do at that point? A faithful steward pushes through the problems. They ask God for further guidance. Faithful stewards refuse to give up until the vision is accomplished. They know God’s words will come to pass, and He will accomplish His purpose (Prov. 19:21). This journey of risk-taking and obedience develops the character of Christ in us (Rom. 5:3,4).
Are you living faithfully on the mission field? What dream has God shared with you? What word has He spoken that you knew was for you? Are you still listening? Keep going forward! He is going to accomplish what He promised through you!
Maybe you’ve been paralyzed by fear. Perhaps you pushed aside and conveniently forgot what He spoke to you years ago.
Repent for not stewarding His words, direction, or vision. Receive his forgiveness – it’s yours (1 John 1:9)! Reach out for His help to take new risks of faith.
He is with you! He loves you. You are His beloved! By His grace, you will one day be called His faithful one.
What do you sense God is highlighting for you in the article above? We’d love to hear about it in the comments or on the Missionary Life Facebook page.
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