Where's Your Mission Field?

On Sunday, we were privileged to have a Soueth and Syna Lao, a husband & wife missionary team share with us during our morning service. Both Soueth and Syna are Cambodian, and they are currently serving in Poipet, Cambodia. Take a moment to review that last sentence. Both the husband and wife are Cambodian, and they have been sent by God to serve in the very country they were born in. How awesome is that!

They had a phenomenal testimony. Both Soueth and Syna survived the Killing Fields of the Khmer Rouge in the 70’s. They were both separated from their families for years while in Cambodia, and they were both able to eventually escape to America while in their early teens. In fact, although they later came to learn that they lived relatively close to each other in Cambodia, they did not meet until God brought them together in New York City. While in NYC, they were able to learn English, get an education, and even graduate college. After some years of ministry in the city, the Lao’s felt called to return to Cambodia, and were able to assist with a medical missionary team in Poipet. As it happens, the medical missionary team was led by Kent and Chrissy Copeland, who happen to be from Immanuel Church. Kent cares for the body, Soueth cares of the soul, and together, they show the Cambodian people the love of Christ in very tangible and practical ways.

However, the whole time they were talking, I couldn’t help but think about the fact that they were, in essence, called back home to serve. To me, that is the most incredible part of the story. These two people witnessed first hand one of the most atrocious acts of the 20th century, and even upon their return were still considered state enemies by some of the remaining factions of the Khmer Rouge. Yet they went, never once questioning God. And they are having a powerful effect for God in their ministry. A lot of it has to do with the fact that they are preaching to their own. The people of Cambodia are not listening to foreigners talk about a God they’ve never heard of. They are listening to the first hand experience of people just like them, and that had to lend a whole new level of meaning to the message.

Can you imagine if we here in America had the same passion and fire for our own people? Keith Green once said that God calls everyone to be missionaries. I believe that to be true. Those of us who are believers are blessed with the most amazing gift the world has every known – the saving grace of Christ Jesus. How can we possibly not want to share that with others? Being a missionary does not mean you have to drop everything and head to the other side of the world. If your neighbor doesn’t know the Lord, your mission field is mere yards away. While I strongly support those who are called to go to ‘the ends of the earth’ to share the love and saving grace of Christ, I also feel strongly that we do those folks no favors if we are not reaching our local community at the same time.

Remember, it’s the bottom of the ninth (had to relate this all back to baseball somehow!), and there are runners on base that we need to get home!