The missions opportunity disappeared. Now what?

Hello Friend,

Most new cross-cultural workers want details in place before they’re ready to sign on the dotted line. They want to know what they’re committing to. That’s natural for all of us.

But more often than not, plans change before they arrive on the ground. We’re working with foreign governments and international laws, not to mention global pandemics — things are ever unpredictable!

What happens when the opportunity they signed up for looks different or no longer exists when they arrive? How will they respond? And what can we do to prepare them for that moment?

Read this story and challenge from Mark Silvers, a Crossworld recruiter. Pass it along to people you may know who are preparing to work cross-culturally.

Living on Mission: Part 4
Your missions opportunity disappeared. Now what?
by Mark Silvers, Crossworld Recruitment

A few years ago a young man left America to teach English in Thailand, only to find out after he arrived that his teaching contract had fizzled out. The position he had gone to fill didn’t exist. The opportunity he committed to had disappeared.

“I assume you’ll return home then?” I asked when I spoke with him. “After all, hasn’t your purpose for being in country just gone out the door?”

That’s the attitude I’d heard from many workers in similar predicaments, and I expected him to respond the same way. It would have been an easy out.

Instead, he said, “Have people in Thailand stopped needing Christ? If not, then I’ll figure out how to stay. I’m not going home.”

When you’re thinking about uprooting your life to move to a foreign country, it’s natural to want details in place. But when you factor in the preparation it takes to go and thrive, it could be months or even years before you arrive there. Most likely some of the details you committed to will have changed.

The what and where of your ministry may look radically different than you expected. Don’t let that trip you up. Mission opportunities come and go. But the opportunity — the invitation to obey Christ and introduce unreached people to the Savior — isn’t going anywhere.

Here are three things to commit to beyond a specific job opportunity.

1. Commit to a cause.

The young man in Thailand had committed to a teaching position, but it wasn’t that specific job that led him halfway around the world. It was his commitment to bringing God’s love to life among the least-reached.

More than committing to a position, he had committed to providing a quality English education with which his students could get a good job and escape poverty and oppression. He had committed to using his position, whatever it might be, to introduce students, teachers, and families to Christ.

What impact do you want to make? Find your why and keep that cause in view when the details start to get blurry.

2. Commit to a people.

Has God called you to the people of Thailand? Or Senegal? Or France? When one method of ministry doesn’t pan out, try something else. If there are still people without Christ in that country, there’s still work to be done.

The commitment to Christ and His cause is more important than the location where you do the work. Just like with the opportunity, it’s important to hold your location with an open hand in case God calls you elsewhere. (Sometimes He does that by simply closing doors to an opportunity you thought was the one.) But we know that God doesn’t give up on any nation, any people. So we shouldn’t be quick to either.

3. Commit to a community.

Research shows you need a community behind you to be effective cross-culturally. The truth is you need more than a sending church and a mission agency — you also need a formative community on the ground.

They’ll remind you of the why. They’ll help you find a new what or where when you need it. And they’ll help you see you’re not alone but you’re part of a team that needs what you have to offer.

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It’s been several years since I had that conversation with the young worker in Thailand. He’s still in Thailand today … with a thriving ministry and a huge impact among the least-reached.

By all means, look for a specific place to use your skills and passions. (That’s why God gave them to you!) But trust that His plan for you and for the nations is greater than any one opportunity. Commit to Him, and keep moving forward. ●