We asked Sara, a new missionary, some questions.
Q: What is a challenge or disappointment you’ve faced that might surprise people about mission work?
Sara: Mission work is fulfilling when you see people coming closer to knowing God. Whenever we see inspiring videos about mission work, or read the prayer newsletters of missionaries, we celebrate God’s achievements done through their obedience.
However, there are also many challenges people face due to the nature of their work. I’ve discovered that everything becomes ministry. When we invite people to our house, it is ministry. When we meet people for an outing, it is ministry.
I often meet my Japanese friends at a place or cafe that they wish to try out. However, I can’t enjoy the food or the nice sights while my head is thinking of the next thing to say, or the next question to ask—How can I bring them closer to Christ? How can I encourage them to evaluate their lifestyles and beliefs? This makes it challenging for me to see them as friends whom I can enjoy hanging out with. So I start to dread the next meeting with them. That is almost similar to tagging them on social media as #work #ministry. I think we shouldn’t do that! This has bugged me for a long time and it’s still a challenge.
To help me deal with this, I try to arrive earlier at the train station to pray before meeting my Japanese friends. I pray something like: “God help me when I meet Rika. I know that you love her and I pray that she can come to know you. Help me not to see her as #work, but help me to relate to her as a friend. For you do not see people as ministry, but you are a ‘friend’ to them.”
Q: What would you say to someone who is interested in missionary work, but has some misunderstandings about the reality of mission work in Japan?
Sara: Full-time missionary work can seem like an extreme calling to many—living abroad, learning a new language and culture—but we are just Christians like you, except that we live as a witness for Jesus in cross-cultural environments. It’s still the same work of listening, learning, and living faithfully amongst the community that God has placed you in.
#OMFJapan #PrayforJapan
