The Mission Is...

by Kay Swearingen

Missions have been a very important part of my life since my salvation at the age of 13. The Lord dealt with me as far as surrender even at that early age. I had dedicated my life and surrendered to the mission field, not knowing what the field held. After I got married, my husband and I went to Bible College and then worked in a church for several years. My husband was Associate Pastor and we worked with the youth. Then the church started a Christian School and we worked there also. Our youth director planned a trip to Mexico with the young people, but he neded some adult help, so my husband and I went along. During this trip the Lord spoke to our hearts and we surrendered to the mission field of Mexico. That was in 1984, and we have been faithfully serving there for 24 years, in several places.

We raised 3 children on the field. They didn't go to school in Mexico. We home-schooled them. It was a clessing to raise a family on the mission field, but what most don't realize is just what the extended family sacrifies for the field. At that time, I didn't realize the sacrifice my own parents made. Now, as a grandmother myself, I can appreciate what they gave up. I guess as we get older, we learn to appreciate more. Our parents were, and are, a tremendous support to the ministry. After all these years, they are still behind us. I thank God for these wonderful people.

It has become sad that many churches today are not encouraging their young people to surrender to the mission field. Look at the world we are living in. Is it getting any better? Not by any means - and who is going to go and reach the lost and dying world if we don't? The missionaries of my generation are getting old. Who are we expecting to replace us? The Word has to get out, what are you going to do? We can't all sit at home in our comfortable lives and let the world go. Someone has to surrender.

The other problem is that Christians aren't giving to Missions like they once did. What's that about? Has God not blessed America? Has God not blessed you as a Chrisitan? If you're not going to go - at least provide a way for someone who is willing to go. Our support and that of many misionaries continues to drop. What about prayer? Are we praying for our missionaries? If Jesus were to say, "If you pray fervently for missions, then you don't have t go yourself," would the prayers start going up? But he didn't say that. He said to go, to give, and to encourage...

Why do missionaries need your encouragement? What a question! First of all they have left their homes, families, normal way of life and numerous other things to serve on a foreign field. Things have changed so much since we left for the field. I remember a 15 minute call to the US cost us $30.00. When you are living on limited support - those phone calls are few and far between. How many words of encouragement do people living in normal circumstances need? Take that and multiply it many times, and you get the amount the missionary needs. Have we written to the missionaries our church supports? Now, we have email. How easy it is to sit down and type out a few words. We didn't have that years ago. One thing my children looked forward to was a letter each week from their grandmother. She always taped 3 pieces of gum to a sheet of paper, and they knew when that letter came there would be the piece of gum for them. What a small thing to do, and what a great blessing it was to 3 little kids.

So, how about missions? Are they important? As important as life and dath, heaven and hell! What are you going to do with your calling? "Go ye into the highways and byways ... compel them to come in." The Mission Is ... still the same.