As much as we love training and supporting missionaries who "go into all the world," we know that not everyone is in a position to leave their job or move their family to a faraway land. We have good news for you though: You're already in the mission field.
Every day you encounter people who are secretly lonely, anxious, hopeless, restless, or ashamed (we’ll call these people “normal humans”). Do you see them?
• You pass by an assisted living home on your daily walk. The residents routinely sit outside in the courtyard.
• You serve on your church’s host team, and a single female tentatively walks in and sits near the back.
• You live near a community food pantry, and you start to recognize some of the regular visitors.
• You serve an increasing number of Somali customers in your store.
• Your mechanic loves to stop and chat when you pick up your car.
• You rent out the other side of your duplex to a multigenerational Hmong family.
• You host a growth group in your home, and a few attendees are new members.
• You teach guitar, and a dozen different teenagers come to your home every week.
• You serve on your local PTA, and some parents invited you to join them for drinks after the meeting.
• You attend yoga classes, and you see the same eight women every week.
• You take breaks at work with colleagues.
• You see your neighbors cutting down a tree, and it looks like they could use a hand.
Each of these situations gives us opportunities to move toward deeper, more meaningful relationships. Through these relationships, God provides opportunities for us to share the reason for the hope that we have. It is our great commission, borne out of a deep love for Christ and a desire to make Him known.
"I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." (John 4:35)
May God bless your work, everyday missionaries!
Aaron Wakeman
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