One of our missionaries working in a creative-access country recently shared this moving testimony of her response to the COVID-19 crisis in light of God’s calling in her heart. She speaks for most if not all of our faithful missionaries and staff who are even now pressing forward the work of Christ’s kingdom among the unreached.
“It’s a little scary with the virus happening, huh?” my language teacher Trung asked.
Over the weekend, the news broke that Dragon City had its first case of COVID-19 and within two days, already there were more than 10 other cases linked to it.
“Yes, it can be a little scary,” I replied. “But, I’m not worried. The Bible actually tells of these things taking place. It was written more than 2,000 years ago.”
“What? Really?” Trung responded with surprise.
I shared from Matthew 24 and Luke 21 about the prophecies of increases in war, disease and earthquakes before the coming end of the world. The concept that the world would come to an end was almost unfathomable to Trung. She had never heard of that before. “So what does the Bible give as a solution?”
“For those who believe in Jesus, we are told not to worry. These are all signs that Jesus is coming soon, and they remind us that this world won’t last forever. Someday we will have a new world with no more suffering, pain, sadness or death.”
When I think of Trung’s shock, I am reminded that so many Sinim people have no clue what is soon coming upon this world. For years, our church has understood the signs, yet millions remain ignorant of what is so obvious to us.
As towns are quarantined, market shelves are emptied, panicked crowds press into supermarkets, and loved ones call to urge a return home, I am not afraid. I feel more emboldened. We are told, “The work which the church has failed to do in a time of peace and prosperity she will have to do in a terrible crisis under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances” (5T 463.2).
I am more convinced that now is the time to be putting forth all our resources to share the gospel, not to be hoarding and hunkering down. We need to hold and expand the ground we have fought for in unreached nations, not retreat. Honestly, I am praying that more hearts will be touched, and that, with God’s leading, we will run toward the darkened places before the doors close. It will only become increasingly difficult to go to the unreached and share the Gospel with those who need most to hear it. We know a soon-coming crisis is to hit the world, and we have hope in Christ that so many in the world don’t have. Shall we not do all we can to help them meet the crisis?
