I come from a large extended family that includes several missionaries. My sister and one of my brothers have served as missionaries in the Philippines and Guam. Several of my cousins, second cousins, and even third cousins have been/are missionaries. And my Uncle taught hundreds of students at a Bible institute in Portland, Oregon, many of whom eventually became missionaries.
In addition, the church I grew up in – Church of the Open Door, at the time located in downtown Los Angeles – had a huge missionary emphasis, epitomized by a large three story concave map of the world at the front of its 4,000 seat auditorium. On the map were bright little lights indicating the location of the 100+ missionaries the church supported. It stared down at us with these words emblazoned at the bottom: “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Mom and Dad weren’t missionaries, but they financially supported several and hosted them in our home when they came through Los Angeles on furlough. All of this missional activity meant that I had a front row seat to the burgeoning evangelical missions movement that sprang up after WWII. The stories those missionaries told around our dinner table of how God was moving in the hearts of people around the world fascinated me. I also loved hearing about the places and cultures they ministered in, so different from the concrete jungle that was and is Los Angeles.
I remember one couple, Roland and Mildred Rice, in particular. One of their sons was my age, so we grew up together in staccato fashion, renewing our friendship every four years when his family was home on furlough. Roland and Mildred had been missionaries to China. But during the communist revolution, they fled to Taiwan with Chiang Kai-shek, where they continued to serve as missionaries for many years.
Yesterday, I read a fascinating article about how Christianity in China has exploded, so much so that Chinese President Xi Jinping views it as a significant threat to communism and has started a major crackdown. The article reminded me of Roland and Mildred Rice and all the years they spent in China and Taiwan obeying that verse at the bottom of that map in my church.
To them and to every missionary who has and is faithfully spreading the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, toiling tirelessly and often unnoticed in distant lands, I say thank you. May you be blessed in the knowledge that the seed you are sowing will surely multiply a million fold.
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
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