Living Sent in [REDACTED]
Editor’s note:
The following account is written by an individual serving in Southeast Asia, whom we’ll identify as “K.” Southeast Asia is a difficult and even dangerous region to share the gospel. Publishing the names and specific locations of our IMB workers would compromise their ability to work in the area and possibly the IMB’s access to the region in the future. Worse than that, exposing the identity of locals who identify as Christians could lead to ostracization and, in some cases, detainment by the local government. Therefore, the author’s identity, the location in which they served, and the identities of any locals have been concealed for their protection.
Serving In Southeast Asia
by “K”
Before middle school, I had really only been exposed to cultural Christianity. My family went to church on Easter and Christmas Eve, and I knew a few Bible stories from attending a Christian school for a few years. But God turned my life around when I met a woman who started discipling me; she taught me to read the Bible, to pray, and to live in community with believers. Through this discipleship and through the Word, God opened my eyes to my sin and need for a Savior, and I decided to follow Jesus. Soon afterward, I read a book called The Insanity of God which helped me understand that in most places in the world, it is not easy, convenient, or safe to follow Jesus. However, this book also helped me understand that Jesus is worth every difficulty, discomfort, and danger.
In high school, I went on a few short-term mission trips to West Africa where I met people who truly had to count the cost of following Jesus; their life stories sounded a lot like the stories I had read in The Insanity of God. I met people whose families disowned them and those who lost their jobs and possessions because they followed Jesus. Yet it was with great joy and peace that they shared their testimonies because Jesus truly was their greatest treasure, and no one could take Him away from them. During these trips, my eyes were also opened to the beautiful world outside of the United States. I learned to dress differently, eat with my hands, dance a lot, and live at a much slower pace. I fell in love with traveling and learning about different cultures!
Amidst all of the beauty and joy in West Africa was great poverty. I saw people who were seriously sick or dying daily due to preventable and treatable disabilities and illnesses. My heart was broken and stirred to action over this, so I started thinking about how I could spend my life serving God and helping people. When I was a senior in high school, I learned the term Unreached People Group (UPG), and God started to show me that the greatest need in the world is for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the best way to help people is to bring them that gospel. In a UPG, less than 2% of the population are evangelical Christians. Statistically, this means that the non-Christian population in this people group has little to no chance of hearing the gospel before they die. Of the entire world’s population, 42.5% lives in a UPG, so 42.5% of the people living today have little to no chance of hearing the gospel before they die. Learning this reality completely shook up my plans, desires, and dreams, and I hope it does yours too. As a high school senior, I remember asking God to use me to reach UPGs, even though I had no clue how that would look.
That prayer remained in my heart and mind as I moved to Starkville for college. I got connected here at First Baptist Starkville and the Baptist Student Union (BSU) on campus, and God provided me with many opportunities to grow in my knowledge of Him. Soon, I had an opportunity to travel to South Asia for a two-week mission trip. During this trip, I experienced spiritual darkness for the first time. It seemed like every person I met was completely closed off to the gospel, and no one thought they were created by God or needed him. I came home feeling a heavy burden for lostness in the world, and I knew that I did not want to wait for the next short-term trip to be a part of God’s mission. I started getting involved with International Hour at the BSU and met my dear friend Tiana from South Asia. Tiana was my first friend with whom I consistently shared the gospel, and I remember being very discouraged because she told me that she had never even considered the existence of a god before she came to America. I prayed for God to open her eyes, and he did! Over the next few months, she began asking spiritual questions and attending weekly Bible studies. The following year, I joyfully attended Tiana’s baptism! I knew at that moment exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life; I wanted to walk alongside people in spiritual darkness and share the Light of the world with them.
God was faithful to continue providing opportunities for me to participate in his mission here in Starkville. I started interning with Nathan Taylor, our college and missions pastor, and he always encouraged me to leverage my life for the gospel. He introduced me to missionaries such as Levi and Lindsey, who live in South Asia, and they inspired me to consider living overseas. After all of these experiences, it was easy to say “yes” when given the opportunity to spend the summer after my college graduation in Southeast Asia to share the gospel with a UPG.
On one of my first days in Southeast Asia, our team went on a scavenger hunt to find our way around the nearest village. As I walked around and saw face after face, it was like the statistics were coming to life right before my eyes. I knew that if nothing changed, if more laborers did not come to this state, then every face I looked at would likely die without ever knowing a Christian and hearing the Good News. This reality weighed on me, so I began to pray and ask God for guidance.
After three weeks of praying along with some friends, I could not stop thinking about the need for a laborer there in my exact season of life: a young, single female. Over the next month, God made it abundantly clear that I should stay for another four months to continue the work the summer team started. He provided the resources and support for me to stay, so again, it was an easy “yes.”
In the country I served, it is illegal to share the gospel with the UPG, and it is illegal for someone in that group to become a Christian. This made evangelism and discipleship very slow, but the Holy Spirit led me to friends my age who spoke English and were spiritually open.
Amazingly, in just a few months, God gave me the opportunity to open the Word with two girls, “A” and “S.” “A” was my language tutor. After discussing the gospel many times, she helped me translate it for our friends who did not speak as much English. We were able to read John 1 together, as well as a few stories from the gospels and a few verses in Romans. She even asked me how someone could become a follower of Jesus! After explaining that, I asked her if she would like to follow Jesus. She said she could not follow Him right now because this was her first time hearing that there was something to believe other than Islam. “S” actually purchased a copy of the Word and invited two of my Christian friends to stay at her house during the summer. While we talked several times about what she had been reading, she was not yet ready to follow Jesus. When it was time for me to fly back home, “S” came to the airport to say goodbye, and as she hugged me, she said, “Thank you for teaching me about the Bible.” Please pray that “S” and “A” will continue seeking truth and following Jesus. Please pray for the millions of people just like them who have yet to hear the Good News in this country.
Since returning to the United States in December, I have continued to seek God’s guidance for my next steps. Several missionaries encouraged me to consider getting secular work experience in the US before moving overseas, which could help me in many ways, such as obtaining visas for closed countries.
With that in mind, I have decided to work for a few years and pursue a seminary degree before hopefully buying a one-way ticket to live among a UPG! Please continue to pray for me in this time of preparation.
So much of my growth as a disciple of Jesus has happened because of you, First Baptist Starkville, and I cannot say thank you enough! Thank you for being a mission-centered and sending church that cares deeply about making disciples here and throughout the world.