'When it is time for you to leave, it will be OK'
Recently the missionaries to the Siar people flew out of their tribal location to the regional center. This trip was for the purpose of translation checking, attending an annual conference, a church planting workshop and several other meetings. They were gone for a little more than three weeks.
It was the longest period of time that both missionary families had ever been away from the tribe since their ministry there began.
“We left feeling confident in the Siar church and the men who were going to continue the shepherding of the church in our absence, but of course our thoughts and prayers were still with them,” Lane Sanford writes.
And then he went on to share the testimony of Redi, one of the ladies in the Siar church, about what God did in the group of believers while the missionaries were gone.
“These past three weeks have been so good for me,” shared Redi. “It was so good to be taken back to Romans and Ephesians and to be reminded again of our position in Christ. God did all that for me … so that … by His strength, I am able to walk straight. I cannot do it on my own, or by any other way. It is all because of Christ. And these past three weeks with you away helped me realize something: I am so thankful you guys came here. I love you and don’t want you to leave, but I am realizing that we have God and we have His Word, and God doesn’t want us to look to you guys, but to Him alone! So when your work is done, and it is time for you to leave, it will be OK because we have God and His Word here with us and He will continue to teach us and grow us.”
For a missionary’s heart, the blessings don’t get much richer than that. Lane adds, “God is good. He is continuing to prepare the Siar church for where He will lead them.”
Can you imagine any greater joy than helping an unreached people group grow in faith and understanding of God’s Word to the point that they depend directly on God and His Word for teaching and direction in their growth in Christ?
What might God be asking you to do to help reach out to those who have never heard the gospel? Find opportunities.