As the time for us to leave gets closer and we pass our prayer cards out, we hear a lot of comments from people who say that it’s great that we are answering God’s call and going out into the mission field. While that’s true, lately God has really shown me that there are many different mission fields, and all of us who are Christians are called to follow God onto the mission field. God may have called us to a different country, and while that’s exciting and scary, we have friends and family who have been called to even scarier mission fields right in their own homes.




My friends, Kim and Sam, were asked to go out onto the mission field in January of this year. Right after the new year started, Kim was diagnosed with lymphoma, and they went out onto the mission field of cancer. Since we have switched churches and our lives have changed a lot, I don’t get to see Kim and Sam very often, but I have been blessed daily by reading Kim’s blog and seeing how God is working in their lives through this journey.



Cancer as a mission field? It may sound strange, but in many ways it is similar to going to a foreign country. Kim and Sam are facing a whole new world of doctors and treatments, and Kim’s body has undergone many changes due to the cancer and treatments. Living the “cancer life” is like living in a foreign country. They could have chosen not to accept God’s calling to this field, and instead could curse God and turn their backs on Him, but instead, they have risen to His calling, and are turning this ordeal into a blessing for others. I have no doubt that many people who never would have gone into a church will hear their story and read Kim’s words, and realize that they too can turn to Christ in the middle of their struggles.

“ What if at this point in time, when I have had to realize I have no control of my life, and hand everything over to God and trust him, I take these so-familiar verses as actual step-by-step instructions, not just nice sayings? Can I really not worry about anything if I pray about everything? I’m going to try to find out.” – Kim 1/7/11

(You can read more of Kim’s blog at: http://kimlovessam.wordpress.com/)

Kim and Sam

My niece and nephew, Anna and Joshua, were also unexpectedly called out onto a new mission field in January. Anna and Josh have 2 very adorable and spunky boys, and were excited to be expecting their first daughter, who they named Evelyn Rose, when they found out that Evelyn has some serious problems, and may not even make it to her very first birthday. Again, they could have chosen to not accept God’s calling and instead to be angry at God for allowing this to happen to their precious daughter, but they are choosing to use this as a way to draw others to the sweetness of Christ.

“Having felt the searing pain of being asked to give up a child, my response is so different to reading again that God CHOSE to give up His only child! ...and for me, the little girl I'm being asked to give up will go straight from the safety of my womb to the permanent safety of His arms (unless God gives us a miracle!). But for God, when He gave up Jesus, He sent Him here, knowing he would die a brutal, public, shameful, undeserved death. God knew that Jesus would be mocked his whole life, even though He was the Son of God. And God still chose to give up His Son, to prove to us His love. Jesus agreed to it, because He loves us THAT MUCH!”

– Anna, 3/28/11

( You can read more of Anna’s posts at: www.annapianoruth.blogspot.com )

Evelyn Rose

We are all called to serve God and to be a witness for Him in many different ways. There are many different types of people, and it’s going to take different types of people to reach them for Christ. The mission field that God has called our family to is in Honduras, Kim and Sam are called to serve God through cancer, and Josh and Anna are called to witness to others through the unstable health of their unborn daughter. Even if you aren’t faced with a huge life altering plan, you can still change people’s lives through your mission wherever you are.

One day while I was buying groceries after a particularly stressful day, during a particularly stressful time in my life, I really was wondering if God even cared about me or my situation, and I felt very lost and alone. I honestly wasn’t sure that I even wanted to keep trying to live the Christian life. As I checked out, the cashier handed me a Hershey’s bar along with my receipt, squeezed my hand and told me, “Hang in there – God loves you!” (I have one of the most transparent faces of anyone, so my mood is usually pretty obvious…) That small action had a big impact on me, and really showed me that God does care, and He puts people in our lives to lift us up and show God’s love. We usually won’t know the impact of those little things we do, but that cashier’s impulsive kindness may be what kept me trusting in God, and gave me the strength to hang on. She was a missionary right there at the Kroger store….

2 Timothy 4:2  Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.