“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.” (Nahum 1:7)

When we think of missions, we usually associate that with Christians leaving their homes, going to a foreign land to share the Gospel and to plant churches. Many of the missionaries I know have gone overseas with their families to do that. When a family relocates, the children have to be uprooted from the Singapore education system and the kind of comfortable life which Singaporeans are used to.

I have just read a book, Carry the Spices, published by the Medical Missions Foundation, Singapore (Revised, 2018). It is a collection of stories and reflections of Christian doctors and dentists from Singapore who have responded to God’s call for them to practise their professions in some remote villages elsewhere in Asia or places as far away as Niger in Africa. They got themselves involved in missions primarily because of their love for God and their commitment to share the Gospel.

Most Christians who have gone overseas as missionaries have to spend the best part of their adult lives serving God in a culture that is completely different from their own, in a setting that is foreign to them. In spite of clear challenges, more Christians from Singapore have taken such a route to serve in the mission fields.

While we are thankful for the examples set for us by Christians who have moved out of their comfort zones to serve in missions, we must not have a romanticised idea of missions. There is no question that it is a privilege to do God’s work in places He has called us to be. But being away from home and the security of a “safe” job, to live in a land which may not have the conveniences which Singaporeans are familiar with, meant that sometimes when the missionaries encountered crises, they are practically on their own. In such a time, the text from Nahum can offer both assurance and hope. “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.” (Nahum 1:7) 

As friends of missionaries in foreign lands, we should continue to pray for them, to keep in touch with them and to provide them with spiritual and material support so that they know they are not alone.

The Singapore Centre for Global Mission which is celebrating its 40^th Anniversary this year, may not be a missionary sending agency. But it plays an essential role in calling for missions mobilisation and missionary support, apart from raising greater awareness for a more wholesome and holistic approach to missions through research, seminars, lectures and co-operative works with other mission agencies. I am a supporter of their effort in reminding Christians of our responsibility to be involved in missions, both in proclaiming the Good News and in addressing issues of societal well-being.