Is It Worth It for Missionaries to Serve Overseas When There Is Need in the U.S.?

Larry Overholt, Missionary, Honduras
The Call, January-March 2017

The mystery of God’s call has continually intrigued me. From our early teen years, Angie and I have each sensed that God was calling us to be missionaries to a culture outside of the one into which we had been born. God’s call for us to serve as missionaries has developed over the years, but it has never wavered. We continue to serve in Honduras because God leads us in that direction. 

Throughout our careers as missionaries, people have periodically asked us to explain why we continue to be missionaries overseas when there is such a need at home. The question has come to us in a variety of contexts. Perhaps, you have even wondered about these things from time to time.

1. WELL-BEING

There is ongoing concern about whether we will be safe. Family members, close friends, and even new acquaintances have expressed their concern for our physical welfare. Angie and I became missionaries 36 years ago because we understood that missionary service is our spiritual calling from God. We dare not be missionaries to Honduras without that call, and we dare not stay home if God is calling us to go to Honduras. For us, the decision to become missionaries has never been rational or calculated.

2. ACHIEVEMENT

At times, people have wondered if we have fulfilled our missionary obligation and it is time now to return home. On occasion, we have even been offered jobs at home, assuming that missionary service was a short-term obligation.

For us, missions was not a training ground to do something else as a real career. Angie and I weren’t motivated to serve as a way to “find ourselves” or to use our experience as a springboard to a better career. This is what God called us to long-term.

3.CURIOSITY

Sometimes people are merely curious to know why someone would leave their home country and spend their entire career elsewhere. People have confided that they enjoy missions but have no idea how we can do it full time. Why would we continue to give up the comforts of home?

We’ve heard the sentiment that missionaries are no longer needed in other countries. Through modern communication technology, it is assumed that everyone can now “hear” the gospel. That assumption is based on the idea that the gospel comes primarily by hearing alone. There is still no more effective way of sharing Christ than by meeting people face-to-face in their communities and showing them that we care enough about them to be willing to become uncomfortable and that we desire to understand their needs.

We cannot underestimate the value of building relationships among members of Christ’s body worldwide. Working as multinational missionary teams contributes to a better understanding of each other and changes our worldview—for the better—in both directions.

4. COST

We depend on a strong support team of faithful champions who provide economically for us to continue as missionaries. Many of them also come on work teams, and hundreds of people we know invest time in praying for the ministry in Honduras. 

Several years ago, an older couple visited us on a work team in Honduras. They had supported us for years. As we said goodbye to them at the airport, they turned to us and said, “We came to see how our investment in missions was being used. We are going home knowing that our investment has been worthwhile.” The investment in missions is one that we gladly share with those who support us.

We recognize that there are many needs at home and that we could surely become involved in ministry there. Our specific call to serve as foreign missionaries does not make us any less responsible to those in need in the U.S. The call of God on us to be ambassadors of Christ wherever we “go” applies equally to every Christian.

Just as numerous people have asked us why we decided to become missionaries, a number of them have come to us with tears in their eyes, telling us that they had not been obedient to God’s call on their lives to become missionaries. It is never too late to contribute to the missionary cause. Angie and I will tell you, “It’s worth it!”

GO: Join Larry and Angie by serving on the Choluteca team. Career and volunteer opportunities are available for grant writers, small business facilitators, and vocational educators. Learn more at www.wgm.org/honduras.

Prayer Calendar January 29- February 4,2017

Coming tomorrow on The Call blog:

"The mystery of God’s call has continually intrigued me. From our early teen years, Angie and I have each sensed that God was calling us to be missionaries to a culture outside of the one into which we had been born. God’s call for us to serve as missionaries has developed over the years, but it has never wavered. We continue to serve in Honduras because God leads us in that direction."

Pray that those whom God has called to serve Him cross-culturally will respond to that calling. p. 6

Is It Worth Serving If I Don’t Have Any Skills?

Brianna Boggs, Volunteer, Mexico
The Call, January-March 2017

When I was a little girl, I dreamed of becoming a flight attendant, a beautician, and even a cardiovascular surgeon. But never once, not even for a second, did I want to become a teacher. My older sister is a teacher, and, contrary to popular belief about younger siblings, I did not want to be just like her. But all of my plans failed. When I decided on a career path, God closed the door. Feeling confused and lost, I was growing frustrated. But then God placed a summer Volunteers In Action trip to Saltillo, Mexico, right in my lap.

I had never been on a missions trip before and had absolutely no clue what to expect. Before I could even find my bearings, I found myself in a bilingual school. Each day dozens of children swarmed me with their comments and questions in a mixture of Spanish and English. For the record, my Spanish knowledge was poor, at best, when I arrived in Mexico. More often than not I was oblivious to what the kids were trying to tell me, and I knew they were equally confused when I spoke to them. How was I supposed to actually teach them? Let alone a language!

But there I was, in the bilingual school, assisting an amazing woman of God and teacher known as Miss Aline. God sent me directly to her. I took notes on her teaching and interactions with the children, and I prayed. I prayed a lot! Before I knew it, I was teaching English to a class of 24 third graders. Before I knew it, I had fallen in love with each beautiful child. Before I knew it, I had fallen in love with teaching.

Before I left for Mexico, I did not know how I could contribute to God’s work in Saltillo, especially in a school. But God called me to share the light and love of Jesus Christ with those children, and He equipped me with the skills and passion to answer my call. 

GO: God will equip you with the skills and passion needed for your call, too. Apply today to serve as a VIA.

MORE: Read more about Brianna’s missions journey at her blog, Something Beautiful. 

Prayer Calendar Jan. 22-28,2017

Coming tomorrow on The Call blog:

"When I was a little girl, I dreamed of becoming a flight attendant, a beautician, and even a cardiovascular surgeon. But never once, not even for a second, did I want to become a teacher. My older sister is a teacher, and, contrary to popular belief about younger siblings, I did not want to be just like her. But all of my plans failed. When I decided on a career path, God closed the door. Feeling confused and lost, I was growing frustrated. But then God placed a summer Volunteers In Action trip to Saltillo, Mexico, right in my lap."

Ask God to show you what special skills He has given you to serve others. p. 18

Is It Worth Sowing Seeds among Troubled Kids?

Tracy Dubois, Support Staff, with Terry and Colleen Hawk, Regional Directors
The Call, January-March 2017

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6 RSV)

When you plant pumpkin seeds in your garden, you expect to harvest pumpkins. If you plant sweet corn seeds, you expect to eat sweet corn soon. However, when it comes to sowing the seeds of God’s love in the hearts of children, the harvest is not always immediate or what you expect.

According to www.churchleadership.org, the average age of when people become Christians has steadily dropped over the years. Roughly 80 to 85 percent of people who become Christians do so by:

• the age of 18 (1978)
• the age of 16 (1988)
• the age of 15 (1998)
• the age of 14 (2008)

Didier is living proof of this promise and these statistics. He was born in Honduras and lived with his grandparents. The family was very poor, forcing Didier to dig through garbage to find food. His grandma died when he was 8, and Didier started getting into trouble. Three years later, Didier was sent to Escuela El Sembrador by his grandfather, who was unable to care for him. Didier studied at El Sembrador from 1993 to 1997, when he completed sixth grade.

Didier accepted Christ during a church service at El Sembrador when he was 13. Jorge Pacheco, a former El Sembrador student who was serving as a counselor at the school, helped lead Didier to the Lord. Terry and Colleen Hawk directed the school at the time.

Didier later walked away from his faith and moved to the U.S. But, by God’s grand design, Didier returned to the truths he learned at El Sembrador. He and his wife, Lourdes, began attending church and decided to renew their commitments to God and raise their two young sons in His light.

In May 2016, at age 35, Didier was baptized by Jorge—the same man who helped lead him to the Lord in 1997—in a Hispanic church in New Orleans. The Hawks were present for this grand celebration.

“It was a special God moment when Jorge baptized Didier,” Terry and Colleen recalled. “May this be a call for people to invest in the lives of young children, because you never know what the seed you plant will bring to harvest. It is truly worth it!”

Jorge added: “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58b NIV).”

“I feel very blessed walking with the Lord,” shared Didier. “I have established a Christian home and have my own construction company. Lourdes teaches a Sunday School class, and I am waiting for the Lord to show me what He wants me to do in the church.”

PRAY: Pray that Didier and Lourdes will remain strong in the Lord, that Didier will find his ministry niche, and that their family will be a testimony of God’s love and faithfulness.

GIVE: Help other boys like Didier and invest in the life of an El Sembrador student today. 

Prayer Calendar Jan. 15-21,2017

Coming Tomorrow on The Call blog:

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6 RSV)"

"When you plant pumpkin seeds in your garden, you expect to harvest pumpkins. If you plant sweet corn seeds, you expect to eat sweet corn soon. However, when it comes to sowing the seeds of God’s love in the hearts of children, the harvest is not always immediate or what you expect."

Pray that the seeds planted by the gospel in the lives of students at Escuela El Sembrador will grow into solid faith. p.9

Is It Worth Raising My Kids in Another Culture?

Krista Horn, Missionary, Kenya
The Call, January-March 2017

We’d been in Kenya less than two months when I uttered the words, “I want to go home.” They were spoken not with a murmur or sigh, but with an emphatic sob. After more than a decade of preparing for the mission field, it was jarring to feel such negative emotions after finally getting here. But the transition to living overseas was harder than we’d expected. The daily grind of learning the culture, adjusting to ministry, and helping our three young boys adapt had taken its toll.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was a missing dump truck—a missing toy dump truck! Our son’s cherished toy was a small and seemingly insignificant thing, yet its disappearance tipped the scales and I found myself sobbing for the comfort of home. The toy had somehow “walked off” with another kid. Kai asked where his dump truck was, and when a thorough search produced no results, reality hit that I couldn’t just run to Target and replace it. I broke down; it was simply too much to handle. Processing the value of material things, plus wrestling with the socially acceptable activity of walking off with someone else’s stuff, plus helping a 2-year-old cope with the loss of a beloved toy, plus weighing the merits of justice vs. honor/shame when face-to-face with the culprit…it was all too much to handle that day and I just wanted to go home.

Instead, we are allowing God to use this time of transition and stress to refine us and strengthen us for the years ahead. When my husband, Eli, struggles with the death of yet another patient, God reminds him that He is faithful even in the midst of death. When I realize I’ve made yet another cultural mistake, God reminds me that He is sovereign and can do His work despite my faux pas. When our kids cling to timidity in this new culture, God reminds us that He is wise and has brought them here to grow in confidence.

Living and ministering overseas is not easy, and it’s clearly not the easiest way to raise our children either. But it’s the best thing we could be doing because it is God’s will for us. Being in the center of God’s will is worth every stress, every lost dump truck, and every desire to go home. He is worth it all, now and forever.

PRAY: Missionary families need your prayer support. In times of transitions and tears, a word of encouragement from home can be the extra boost that makes their day. Pray for our missionary staff by using the prayer calendar at www.wgm.org/praycal. 

Prayer Calendar Jan. 8-14,2017

Coming tomorrow on The Call blog:

"The transition to living overseas was harder than we’d expected. The daily grind of learning the culture, adjusting to ministry, and helping our three young boys adapt had taken its toll."

Pray for missionary parents as they help their children adjust to life on the mission field.

Is Serving Worth It?

Dr. Dan Schafer, president
The Call, January-March 2017

You don’t have to go around the world to find people whose lives have been devastated by sin. We don’t need to leave our communities to find those from other cultures who are living in darkness without the light of Jesus Christ. So why do we continue to pay the high price of sending missionaries around the world when those same Christians could simply serve as missionaries right here in the United States? And why do we continue to send missionaries to areas of the world that have a mature and growing church that could take on the responsibility of evangelizing their own country?

Many individuals, a lot smarter than me, have lined up on both sides of these questions and have presented very articulate, well-thought-out, persuasive responses—arguing both for and against the U.S. and other developed countries continuing to send missionaries around the world. But I would suggest to you that we are asking the wrong questions. There is a more important question than: “Can we justify the cost?” or “Is the national church of a country mature enough to handle things on their own?”

Instead we should ask: “Is the Holy Spirit still calling men and women as missionaries?” The answer is a definitive “yes.” The Holy Spirit started the missionary movement when He requested that the church, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2 NIV). And since He started it, only He can end it.

I don’t fully understand why God chooses to reach the world through missionaries (His ways and thoughts are higher than mine—Isaiah 55:9), but it is obvious that the missionary model is God’s plan, even in countries with mature Christian populations. Have you noticed the missionaries He has sent to the U.S. to reach people here? Thousands of American churches now have pastors who were born in other countries.

Why is He sending missionaries to the U.S.? It’s not because the American church isn’t well established or that it is the least expensive way to evangelize America. It’s because God has a plan “higher” than ours and His Holy Spirit is working that plan, which means He continues to call missionaries from everywhere to everywhere!

Yes, sending missionaries is an expensive proposition. Is it worth it? God seems to think so, so I’m going to go with God on this one.

PRAY: Matthew 9:36-38 reveals to us the heart of Jesus when it comes to missions. He calls on us to ask the Father to send more workers into His harvest field because the harvest is ready, but the workers are few. Let’s pray in obedience that God will send more workers.

Prayer Calendar January 1-7,2017

Coming tomorrow on The Call blog:

"You don’t have to go around the world to find people whose lives have been devastated by sin. We don’t need to leave our communities to find those from other cultures who are living in darkness without the light of Jesus Christ. So why do we continue to pay the high price of sending missionaries around the world when those same Christians could simply serve as missionaries right here in the United States?"

Ask God to help you build the kingdom in the place He has called you in 2017.