Perspective

Dying to self: A missionary’s struggle with obedience

We’re discussing international evangelism this month, so it makes sense to look at missionaries. So many of our brothers and sisters around the world are spreading the message of the gospel. On the mission field, they experience real struggles we may know nothing about. But we can listen and learn in order to pray for and support them better.

By Madison Strauder, International Mission Board

The past two weeks have been some of the hardest days of my life, but not for reasons you might think. There is no illness, family emergency, impending natural disaster, or local political upheaval that has me on edge. It’s nothing that can be easily worded or is simple to communicate. I guess I would say it’s because of the condition of my heart.

After spending a challenging six months in the US, my family returned to South Asia, where we’ve been missionaries for many years. When we were preparing to leave the US, people asked us if we were excited to come back to South Asia. Though that feeling may accurately describe our three kids’ attitudes about returning to the home they know and understand, excited is not a word I would use to describe my own feelings.

South Asia is much more home to my kids than the quiet countryside that I grew up calling home. They can walk down a street surrounded by thousands of people and be at ease. They can jump in whatever mode of transportation is available and seem to not mind the stares along the way, the heat, and the traffic. God has helped me do those things on a daily basis, but it will never feel natural to me like it does to them.

Read the full story at the International Mission Board. 
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