We are all guilty of it; a missionary comes through town and speaks to the church ans we are all hyped up ready to send them off with well-wishes and prayers. Then a week passes, and we glance at the family picture they left us on the fridge and say a quick prayer and move on with our day. Weeks turn into months, and soon we don’t even remember who those people are.
You can say this isn’t you, but really think about it.
I hate admitting this. I do it quite often and MY SISTER, MY TWIN SISTER, is out on the field. Y’all this is flesh and blood I shared a womb with and I’m willing to admit I forget that she is gone. Now, this isn’t as in I forget about her and we never speak. Thankfully, technology and apple products allow us to talk daily, but I forget she isn’t just a short drive away. She is literally 12 hours ahead!! I cannot jump in my car and drive to hug her; I would have to jump on a plane to a larger city, then a plane to another country, then a plane to Cambodia. I don’t care who you are, that isn’t an easy trip. Besides my sister, I have some of my best friends on the field. When I do speak to them, I say I will pray for them, but again days turn to weeks turn to months, and I’ve lost so much time. I
text to find out they are expecting, like she is showing prego. Why has it been so long since I’ve
touched base and prayed for them?!
This is not my first experience. Kelsey also did the World Race and our friendship ring grew to
include 40ish more people she considered family for 11 months. I prayed and fought for them
while I waited for them to come home. Where are they now? Are they still on the field fighting
for Jesus or have they found a different avenue to love on people? I couldn’t tell you. And I
know these people prayed and interceded for me because it was important to my sister.
I am not trying to call anyone out. I am just trying to remind us all about the people we send
out. They don’t just need our prayers to go, but to stay. To stay away from their families. To
stay away from the comforts of home. To stay and show love to lost people. To stay firm in the
belief God will provide (financially and emotionally).
Just remember: they may not be at your church now, you may have cleaned off your fridge and
thrown that postcard or family picture away, but our friends, family, and warriors are still on
the field. Whether we remember or not, that’s where they are. Sharing Jesus in a place we may
never see and being called to show love in missions, through evangelism, or even through a cup
of coffee.
One other thing- we do not have to leave the country to be missionaries. You may have friends
or family scattered across the states working in missional jobs, but we don’t need the title of
“missionary” to be missionaries. Love on your neighbors, co-workers, friends, and even
strangers. There is no distance requirement to be a missionary, foreign or domestic. We are
called to all be missionaries, everywhere and every day.
So, where are they now? Well, Kelsey is in Cambodia. Where are your friends and family? Are
they back in the states, on a visa- jump, or moving to another foreign country to love people? I
encourage you to reach out, whether a text, email, or Facebook message. Remind them you
remember them.
