The Hardest Part Initially with Going to the Mission Field

The last Sunday I spent in the United States, I preached at one of our partner churches. The very next Sunday, I sat in a church in Mexico and understood almost nothing. In one week, I went from preaching God’s Word to struggling to follow the sermon. It was one of the most humbling—and unexpectedly difficult—experiences of becoming a missionary.

There are many things that missionaries must give up to be faithful to God’s call on their lives. They leave behind the comforts of home. Saying goodbye to family and friends is hard. They go from having intuitive cultural intelligence in their home country to being culturally clueless in their host country. Many are highly competent in their professions in the United States, yet when they become missionaries, they lack the language skills needed to order a meal at a restaurant.

All these sacrifices—and many more—are difficult when first arriving on the mission field. Yet perhaps the hardest of all is giving up the familiar weekly Sunday routine of worshiping the Lord in one’s native language with one’s church family.

Church is Family

Your local church is your spiritual family, and leaving that family for the sake of the gospel is painful. Paul reminds us that followers of Christ are “members of the household of God.” [1] John writes, “We are called children of God.” [2] God is our Father, and the Holy Spirit binds us together in Christ as one family. This family takes shape as a unified global church, which is comprised of countless expressions of local churches scattered across the globe.

If you have been meaningfully involved with a local church for any length of time, you understand what it means to belong to this family of God. Deep relationships are formed within the context of the local church. Babies are born, and faithful saints finish their race. Disciples are formed, and the lost are reached with the gospel. New believers are welcomed into the family in the waters of baptism, and the church family regularly takes the Lord’s supper in unison.

So much life happens within the life of the church. Gospel goodbyes are necessary for sent ones. Missionaries must leave one church family to join—or even plant—a new one in another place. Although necessary, leaving your spiritual family behind is deeply painful.

Church Is a Routine of Worship

The author of Hebrews instructs believers to “not neglect meeting together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another.” [3] There is a God-given routine of weekly worship for every follower of Christ. Members of God’s family are expected to gather regularly to worship the Lord. They sing together. They partake of the Lord’s Supper together. They sit under the preaching of God’s Word together. They pray together. They fellowship together.

It is encouraging to sing with the body of Christ in another language. It is a small taste of heaven! On the other hand, though, it is very difficult because you do not understand what it is you are singing. Understanding is essential for spiritual nourishment.

Corporate worship is meant to encourage believers, but encouragement requires understanding. You cannot be encouraged by worship if you do not understand the word being sung. You cannot be edified by the preaching of God’s Word if you cannot understand what is being preached. You cannot enjoy meaningful fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ if you do not speak the language. How can believers encourage one another in Christ if they cannot understand one another?

It has often been said that the church is a hospital for sinners. Imagine suffering a serious injury and needing to go to the emergency room. Upon arrival, you cannot communicate what is wrong or explain what you need. Receiving proper medical care would be extremely difficult if you could not communicate with the doctors and nurses.

Now imagine attending a church where you know no one and cannot communicate with anyone. You cannot understand the sermon or the songs. You cannot interact meaningfully with your new family members because you do not speak the

language. This is the reality that every missionary faces in the beginning. What was once the most refreshing part of the week can become one of the most exhausting. For the first four months, I left church every Sunday with a headache. If I am honest, I dreaded Sundays. I no longer looked forward to gathering with God’s people as I once had. Church was difficult in the beginning, but in time it became a tremendous blessing.

The Blessing of Worshipping God in a Foreign Place and Language

I still do not understand every word that is spoken or sung during our church services, but now I understand almost everything. I no longer leave exhausted with a headache. Instead, I leave encouraged and refreshed. God is at work in Mexico, and it is a joy to have a front-row seat.

It is a blessing to sing with my brothers and sisters in Christ in Spanish. It is a blessing to sit under the faithful preaching of God’s Word each week. It is encouraging to witness new believers being baptized and missionaries being sent. It is a unique privilege to experience Christian fellowship in a new language, culture, and church family.

Over time, God takes what may be one of the greatest difficulties missionaries face and transforms it into one of the greatest blessings.

Would I rather worship the Lord in my native language? Yes.

Are there great blessings that come from worshipping the Lord in another language? Absolutely.

We have been blessed to be a part of a healthy church here in Mexico, and we recognize that this is a tremendous privilege. Many of our missionary colleagues serve in places where no local church exists. They must plant churches while simultaneously learning the language and adapting to a new culture. This is an enormous challenge and can be spiritually draining.

A Call to Pray

Pray for your missionaries!

They are tasked with doing something that only the Lord can accomplish through them. At the same time, they are no longer receiving the consistent spiritual nourishment they once enjoyed week after week in their home churches. They must learn to feed themselves spiritually in ways they never have before while facing greater spiritual warfare than they have ever experienced.

We cannot do what God has called us to do apart from the prayer and faithful support of local churches back home. We are deeply grateful for your partnership, and we trust that God has used and continues to use your prayers.