To All the World for Jesus’ Sake

*Due to security concerns in the region where this Mid-America alumna may be appointed, the author’s name has been changed and other details have been concealed such as names of nations in which she has been or may be serving.

Flags! Colors! Languages! My six-year-old eyes stared in wonder from the front row of the church balcony during the annual missions fair as missionaries marched down the aisle with flags and crossed the stage. One of my first memories in life is turning to my mom and saying, “When I grow up, I want to be one of those people.” I did not know the title “missionary” but knew God had begun captivating my heart with His love for the world.

In March 2012, I stepped onto a plane with a one-way ticket to East Asia. Upon arrival, I was crushed between sticky bodies on buses, and I was immediately blind-sided with the reality of the density of the population. I gazed upon seas of skyscraper apartment buildings and mountains dotted with villages, and thought, “I wonder if the Gospel has gone there?” The urgency for Gospel laborers reverberated within me, and I remembered Jesus’ words, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” I knew He did not intend for the laborers to be few and began to implore the Father to send more workers to come to Asia and go to all the world.

I soon discovered that most of the people in my province had never heard the Gospel. When asked if they knew who Jesus is, most would respond that they had never heard of Him. Never. The thought of generations of families in hell weighed on me, but I recognized the enormous privilege of introducing Jesus for the first time and was overjoyed seeing peoples’ excitement, especially over the resurrection. As I shared the Gospel, it came alive afresh within me as I saw the “power of God unto salvation” at work over and over again. Baptisms also became a thrill of fresh excitement and, due to persecution, my team moved my dining room table out of the way and blew up a kiddie pool to baptize new believers.

My team trained new Christians in the city from several tribal groups to take the Gospel to their own people as indigenous missionaries. Many became indigenous missionaries. They were repeatedly visited by police, beaten, burned by policemen’s cigarettes, and so on, but they never stopped sharing their faith. Once, one of my local brothers was asked, “Why do you keep baptizing people in that river (in his home village), when you know you could be killed for doing it?” He replied, “I’ve already died,” referring to Galatians 2:20. He was joyfully and fearlessly living the crucified life willing to go to all the world for Jesus’ sake.

Where Bodies Hurt and Sad Hearts Ache

After leaving that persecuted nation, I moved to another country as my base, and went to many other surrounding Asian nations leading women’s evangelism and discipleship conferences. I met women who had suffered unspeakable abuse and heartache; some did not even have easy access to the basic necessities of living such as water and shelter. Many suffered from painful diseases and multiple losses of children. I asked the Lord to give me His love for the broken, so I could better minister to the women.

I remember standing before a crowd of sari-draped women looking at me with curious brown eyes, and suddenly it was like God had me imagine each of them wearing princess crowns feasting at His table in Heaven. Even though according to their culture they had little value, according to God, He created each one on purpose and with immeasurable value and worth to Him. He is El Roi, the God Who sees them. In Jesus, they could have stories of hope! He wanted to give hope to the hopeless, rest to the restless, and healing for the broken.

I also had the joy of working alongside several indigenous pastors in Asian countries, helping them form women’s ministries and disciple their women to maturity in Christ. As opportunities expanded for discipleship and teaching, however, I recognized the Lord calling me to receive more Bible training before continuing service on the mission field. I also wanted to learn more about counseling in crisis situations and marriage and family issues.

Lift High the Cross, His Love Proclaim, Mid-America, Bear His Name!

Before moving abroad, I had considered going to seminary at Mid-America, but God spoke to my heart to go ahead to the field. In 2020, when COVID was spreading and travel was halting, it seemed the perfect time to come home and get my MA degree at the Seminary. In God’s perfect timing, Mid-America had developed the Biblical Counseling program. I prayed and thought of all the “sad hearts aching” I saw on the mission field and my desire to minister God’s Word effectively to them. Therefore, instead of getting my degree in missions, I chose to get my MA degree in Biblical Counseling. The program has given me invaluable information and practice in ministering Scripture and the Gospel in all kinds of situations people find themselves in this broken world.

One of the first things I noticed about Mid-America is the focus on evangelism and missions. I saw in other students the answer to the prayers I had prayed on the mission field for “harvesters.” I have talked to many fellow students with a passion to go to the mission field and reach unreached people groups. We have prayed passionate prayers together for the lost in the world with an urgency to go and share Christ’s love.

My favorite part of the week is Report Hour, where students give testimonies about how we have shared the Gospel during the week. It encourages my heart to see my fellow students on fire for God, lifting high the Cross and proclaiming His love at their churches, gas stations, neighborhoods, short-term mission trips, and wherever the Spirit leads. The school’s focus on evangelism also challenges me here in the States to keep sharing the Gospel everywhere I go. If I can’t share the Good News here, then why go back overseas?

His Kingdom Is Coming, O Loud Let It Ring; His Kingdom Is Coming, Be Joyful and Sing!

What is the motivation behind missions? Why did I go to the ends of the earth and am preparing to go back? Why do my persecuted brothers in Christ keep sharing the Gospel? Why does Mid-America train and send out biblical leaders? The answer involves more than just obeying the Great Commission. It is because the Kingdom of God has come in the Person of Christ, and He is coming back to rule and reign forever. We want to lead as many people as possible into Christ’s glorious Kingdom to glorify His Holy Name for all eternity. Revelation 7:9–10 tells of a great multitude of every nation, tribe, people, and tongue who will stand before the throne; today’s reality is that some people groups are still missing. So, we go to all the world for Jesus’ sake!