Seven children from the same family were being baptized. One by one they shared their testimonies. After the oldest, all the rest sounded quite similar. Part of each sound snippet included something like, “I saw my sister become a Christian, and I wanted to be a Christian, too.”
As I listened, I realized what an impact this eldest girl had had on her family. Clearly, salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:1-9 and Philippians 2:13) and our understanding of it shouldn’t be based solely on wanting what someone else has or a sentimental idea of being like “Big Sister”. That is definitely something to be careful of, but the main thought that struck me at the time was how precious this scene was. It pressed the question, “Is each of us living in such a way as a sister that our younger siblings (or anyone else) would say, “Wow! If that’s Christianity. I want in.”
Such a thought leads, of course, to a personal evaluation of ourselves before the Lord compared to Christ and His Word. However, my main point goes more with the sister part of the revelation. God used one girl (at least in part) to bring six souls to Him - six souls right under her nose. Did this girl ever think these siblings were her mission field?
As a girl who has lived seven years of her life overseas doing “foreign missions work” with her family - and loving much of it, I might add - I’ve realized that I often used to think that real missionary endeavors only happen in faraway places. As I’ve grown up and talked with friends, I think this is actually a rather common idea.
And let’s face it, it’s comfortable to think that way. If we can’t do “that sort of thing” right where we are, we’re off the hook! Furthermore, I’ll be the first to admit, that it would be much cooler to go around telling people that I’m doing such-and-such in a tropical country with people who are desperately poor (Note: There are people who are desperately rich in most third-world countries, too.) than it would be to say that I’m teaching a four-year-old to read, helping Grandma shop for groceries, learning from Mom as she teaches Josie how to cook, trying to be a good example of Biblical womanhood for my little sisters and encouraging my five-year-old brother to be a godly man by going on adventures of discovery and dominion in the woods behind my house all while keeping up with the dishes, laundry and the gardens so that our house can be at least a little ready for surprise guests - all those “strangers” we’re supposed to welcome.
But, truly, when we look at what real missions work is...
- presenting the message of salvation and teaching others to follow all of Christ’s commands (Matthew 28:19-20),
- living in such a way that our God-directed works and our Christ-sourced love make a watching world wonder (Matthew 5:16 and John 13:35)
- making the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5)
- and caring for “the least of these” (Matthew 25)
...are these “little things” not just as important on the homefront of suburban America as equivalent actions would be among unreached tribes along the Amazon? And, really, can anyone know how - or have the opportunity - to love your siblings better than you?
One of my favorite missionary stories is that of John G. Paton, Scottish missionary to the South Seas. While there are many gripping escapades in his adventures, two points still grip me five years after reading it. Firstly, before he set sail for the New Hebrides, Paton ministered among his own Scotsmen who happened to be in just as much need of God’s Word as the cannibals among whom he would later live. He was a missionary right where he was. Later, he realized that this time prepared him for the overseas work. The chronicle of his adventure is bound up in Missionary Patriarch: The True Story of John G. Paton, written by John himself and edited by his brother James who was twenty years younger! If these two brothers, so far apart in years, had not combined forces the Church could have lost the story of one member of her “cloud of witnesses”. This may be reading between the lines, but in their massive literary joint effort, I think we can see that fruit of brothers who cared about each other deeply.
Another example that comes to mind is Rachel Saint. As her story is shared in Chapter 2 of “Saint: The Story of Nate Saint, Missionary Pilot”, we get to see that she took time to invest in her younger brother Nate’s life. She encouraged him to seek the Lord, and when Nate was in the hospital with osteomyelitis, Rachel talked with him about death and what it means for a Christian. All of this took place before he stood among the heroes of the faith, even while he was still a rambunctious boy. Have you ever wondered what God might have in store for your siblings and how He might want to use you to prepare them for it?
So, girls, while we do seek “all the nations”, let’s not forget the people right around us - the mission field under our noses.
