Years. Of all the sacrifices people struggle with most when considering serving in foreign missions, that one word encapsulates them all. With time comes missed opportunities—birthdays, weddings, holidays with family, finding the love of your life, climbing the ladder of success and many more.

Yes, years of service in a foreign land can be hard, but after seeing firsthand the work for the unreached, I now struggle at times not to take it personally when someone says, “That’s a long time.” I understand the well-meaning sentiment, but at its root it implies the question, “Is it worth it?”
Is it worth it? Is it worth the loss of years, comfort, security, etc.? When you eat every day with those who are hungering for peace that only comes from Christ; when you live with people who share of their homes and their hearts with you; when you suffer with unreached people who become like family and who ask you, “Is there any hope beyond grave?” the question, “Is it worth it?” ceases to be worth asking.

When a child goes missing, it is pointless to ask a parent if years and thousands of dollars poured into searching are worth it. No one asks, “Is it worth it?” when it comes to one of their own.

God saw the saving of each soul of every nation and tribe as worth pouring out heaven’s greatest gift—33 years of the life of His only Son and then His violent death on a cross. He teaches us that the question is not, “Is it worth it?” but “How can it not be?”

Will you join me in taking our greatest gifts, whatever they may be—effort, money, time, heart—and putting them into reaching the unreached Sinim? It is worth it!

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