Reflections on a Life in Missions

When Chris and I think seriously about involvement in cross-cultural missions, we often neglect the sacrifice it actually entails. Are we personally willing to subject our marriage to strains of jungle life, exposing our future children to health dangers they probably would not face here in the states, deal with loneliness and time away from our families -and even the possiblilty of losing one another? We only have one life to live here on this crazy earth, and how we invest the time God has given us is of great importance. All these thoughts can be unnerving at times, and the closer we get to our leave date the more we realize the reality of relying on God. Naturally, I am not a big fan of this. This last Thursday I had the privilege of hearing Gracia Burnham speak. What a treat! For 17 years her husband She and her Husband Martin served with New Tribes Mission as doing aviation in the Philippines. On their 18th wedding anniversary they were kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf group (a militant Muslim group). In the following months some of the hostages died, but most were set free. From November 21 the Burnhams remained captive. For the next 376 days they faced near starvation, constant gun battles, and seeking our God who seemed to have deserted them. June 7, 2002 in a gun battle between the Philippine government and the Abu Sayyaf ,Martin was killed and Gracia sent home to their 3 children in the States.The story reached national news (CNN, Larry King etc.). Gracia Burnham travels and speaks internationally, and wrote a book detailing the gripping story of her and Martin’s experience. In The Presence Of My Enemies is a must read! I read it a summer in Papua New Guinea and considered our future life in missions. Ms. Burnham’s optimism despite her circumstances is inspiring. In our church culture today, we too often expect God to “bless” us with all we desire. Regardless, “The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. (Deutertonomy 31:1 NASB)” Gracia’s visit was emotional and has encouraged me to be even more involved in missions. Enjoy the few pictures of Ms. Burnham’s visit.