Recently one of our workers shared with us about his work. He cares for disabled children as well as facilitates at medical clinics in East Asia. He shared about how he had helped with the relief effort in an earthquake zone and had a narrow escape from an ensuing flood. The experience had left a deep impression on him. It made me realize how often OMF workers have had to face major disasters in the last few years- earthquakes and tsunamis in places such as Indonesia, Thailand, China, Taiwan and Japan. In all of these disasters we have had our workers involved in relief and recovery efforts. OMF people usually speak the language and understand the local culture well and are a valuable local resource for disaster relief agencies from another country.
Involvement in these major disasters comes at a price. Some of our workers have suffered Post-traumatic Stress Syndrome as a result, sometimes with ongoing effects that may last for years. It has reminded me of the need for us to do a couple of things:
It is important to have a sound theology of suffering.
As ministers of the gospel of Jesus, we are not immune or somehow exempt. But God’s servants often suffer as they bear the burdens of others, just as Jesus was prepared to suffer pain on our behalf. We have to avoid giving the impression that God guarantees to protect us from pain, accidents or major disasters. Sending churches need to accept that sending workers to Asia can be painful and risky In order to evangelize in East Asia, we need to accept those risks. While we do everything we can to keep our workers safe and well, the very nature of our work means that we will be affected by the pain and suffering of those we serve.
It is important to give practical help during times of crisis.
Many of our workers will face a major crisis during their time in Asia. This can take many forms and may be a major illness, an accident, conflict or depression. This is where OMF field structures are essential in providing help and support. Our OMF Home Side Ministry Teams and churches are also very important in providing the care needed. In some cases we need to refer people to trained professionals who can give more specialized treatment.
In the book of Romans, Paul explains the grace of God. It justifies us and gives us joy which is not based in this world, but our hope that is in Christ. Then he explains what suffering does for us: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” (Romans 5:8 ESV) While suffering is not something that we long for, we can be confident that God fulfills his plan for our lives through it. And this gives us hope.
