by Maria Hiers

I recently saw the latest film adaptation of The Call of the Wild (2020). The book of the same title, written by Jack London, is about a dog named Buck. I remembered the story- not for the details or storyline, but for the way it made me feel.  It was something I could not put my finger on for years, but it spoke to me in a way that I had never experienced before. I am a reader – born in a time when the only option was reading an actual book. There were no e-books or the internet. I grew up with Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys mystery book series, Little House on the Prairie, The Boxcar Children or some other adventure book…always in the library looking for the next in the series or a new release.

This movie was somewhat different from the book. The story is about Buck growing up in safety and care by his human family.  Buck is big, full of energy, and looks for adventures and fun. He is easily distracted by rabbits or bicycles – chasing whatever draws his attention.  Often getting into trouble. Temporarily rejected and disciplined by his family, he is stolen, then sold. He is intimidated, scared, and out of his element.  Along the way, he finds help and support.

Love, genuine passionate love, was his for the first time. With the Judge’s sons, hunting and tramping, it had been a working partnership; with the Judge’s grandsons, a sort of pompous guardianship, and with the Judge himself, a stately and dignified friendship. But love that was feverish and burning, that was adoration, that was madness, it had taken John Thornton to arouse.

 – The Call of the Wild (pgs. 92-93)

Both movie and book are about a call. As he went from one hardship and challenge to another, he became more aware of something calling him. It was something that Buck would have never known without the hardships or unexpectedly finding love and acceptance unlike any he had ever known before. Buck sensed something, he sensed a call. Maybe that’s what struck a chord with me as a child, causing me to now draw a comparison between a book and a call. 

Missions – A Call

We all sense a call from deep within. Sometimes, we move towards it purposely, and sometimes it is thrust on us unexpectedly and even sometimes by force. To give our life meaning, we need purpose. God created us that way. 

Even as a child, I sensed a call to something more. I grew up in a church hearing the stories of missionaries and I wanted to be part of that adventure. Once,  I even told my mom that I was going to be a missionary when I grew up. My sister and I even got into a fight later that night about who was going to be the missionary.  I believe she won the fight that day, but I grew up to be the missionary. Sadly, the ability to hear His voice and call diminished as I lost myself to louder voices drawing me away into something else.

As a young person, I was fascinated by the boldness of the Hippie culture of the late ’60s, then became part of it in the early ’70s. It was a culture and community that had an appeal to the younger generation- something in their message of peace and love, as well as pushing back on ‘the man’ (anti-war, anti-government, etc.) was appealing to someone wanting to make a difference in the world. Unfortunately, what I found were not the things they claimed to have: love, acceptance, peace, or freedom. What I found was a cheap and easy substitute to numb the mind: sex instead of love, drugs instead of peace, and violence instead of freedom. This is nothing new. Once we embrace the substitute, we begin to bury that inner moral compass, and we can easily go way off track.  

Could religion is another poor substitute for the relationship that God intended? A substitute that traps and eventually blinds us.  Religion creates a type of working partnership that is often void of passion, sacrifice, and purpose.  How many of us have some knowledge of religion? How many of us are familiar with following this lifestyle based on rules and regulations?  All those ‘do’s and don'ts’!  How do we typically respond to rules and these lists of do & don'ts?   

Rebellion and resistance - that was me!  It wasn’t until after some volatile times in my youth, I began to hear more about a relationship with God - through His son, Jesus. Relationship based on unconditional love and forgiveness.  During the Jesus Revolution of the early 70s, I discovered a relationship like no other. I found a love – a genuine passionate love that can only be found in a relationship with our creator. It stirred a deeper passion in me to follow Him, no matter where - no matter the cost.

Shortly after I came to the Lord, I met my husband. He was military and I was ‘free’ spirited. We met at the church I was attending.  This church was one of the few that welcomed all us “Jesus Freaks” as we were, lending us their building as a coffee house to have Bible studies and worship. Listening to live bands playing Chuck Girard, Love Song, and Keith Green!  Who doesn’t love coffee and live music? 

We married in 1974 and God stirred a passion in us to share God’s love wherever He led us.  In 1980, we said good-bye to military life and began preparing for full-time ministry. In 1983, as graduation neared, we realized our call was not just local, but to the ends of the earth.  In 1985, we left America to prepare ourselves to work with a ministry outreach work in Guatemala. The preparation had taken more than two year; as we finished our Bible studies and sold our home, to make this call a reality.  It was not without its challenges!  

Our biggest challenge was learning to live and love as Jesus did, even in the midst of poverty and in a culture and language not our own. We made friends with other missionaries, receiving help and encouragement, which was so important.  We were then assigned to live in a small community in the mountains, several hours from the mission compound. Can you imagine feeling like you had traveled back in time to an earlier decade and being cut off from life as you knew it?  How would you respond?

Once there, we didn’t have the nearby support of other missionaries that we had started with. Without telephones or the internet to connect with the familiar, we needed to connect with our Guatemalan community. 

We found ways to connect with our neighbors.  We placed our children in the local school to make friends. This helped us connect to the families there.  I often walked around town to do my shopping and to get to know my community. I discovered it was easier to carry my new baby on my back, as they did. 

It unexpectedly opened doors to conversations and even acceptance. I think it surprised them that we walked everywhere, instead of driving. We became entrenched in the culture by conversing with our very limited Spanish vocabulary and learning about our new home.  My husband taught classes and worked in the local children’s feeding center during the week. He also pastored in the local church.  

It was a huge step of faith for us to give up the security of our jobs, home, and closeness of family. It was a commitment to study and learn and prepare for life in another country. It also  took the support of friends and family to help make that call and dream a reality. Our years in Guatemala, though tough at times, are special treasures- the excitement and joy of sharing Jesus and making disciples around the world.  We loved being part of the missionary community that shared our vision, but more than anything; we loved being accepted as part of the Guatemalan community. We spent fifteen years living in a country that was not our own, but it became our home. The love and friendships that remain are a part of who we are today, even after twenty years.

A New Call 

We are living in confusing times. Our society has shifted its moral axis, and some even ask whether Christianity needs to be ‘reinvented’ for today’s culture.  It is interesting to note that in the three weeks since I started writing this article, the term “social distancing” has become the common call of society around the world. 

Businesses and churches were advised to close their doors out of an abundance of precaution. As the body of Christ, we are learning the reality that ‘the church’ is not a building.  As these building doors close, the Church (the body of Christ) is responding. Now is the time for those who know and follow the Lord’s commands - to love, to witness, to disciple.

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you...” - John 15:12-13

“...but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses ….. even to the remotest part of the earth.” - Acts 1:8

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “...Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you...” - Matthew 28:18-20

How do we go out, love, teach, and minister, if we are told to maintain our distance?  Do we hear the call?  

Even as we face this ‘social distancing,’ we can respond to the call of God through social media, text, phone calls - how easily we can encourage one another – and be witnesses to God’s love!  We can still share God’s Word. 

Our need to be part of a community and to have a purpose has not changed.  The amount of technology and how we interact with one another has Humanity has always desired and still seeks love, acceptance, peace and freedom – and a purpose. It is at the very essence of who we are.  A need that we all seek to fill. We gather in communities of like-minded people hoping to find affirmation of our thoughts, needs, and discoveries. 

Today, many of these communities are formed on-line with less actual human interaction.  The technology that we have readily available should help us build community to expand our reach, to convey our ideas, and to build more relationships.  It creates a community of sorts, but it can lead to feelings of isolation, rejection, and sometimes even anger. Are we satisfied with living on-line? Are we hearing an inward voice saying there is more? Are we forming real relationships? Are we impacting the lives of others?    

How do we respond?  We use the tools that God has given us to share God’s unchanging message by loving one another, encouraging one another, and helping one another as God shows us we need to respond to the call of God with wisdom and live as He commands us to live.  The number of churches throughout the world that are now using Facebook, Vimeo, Zoom and other methods of reaching out are a true testimony of the church hearing the call.

We can also see the example that Jesus lived and what He showed us. He called us all to turn from their sin, accept His love and forgiveness, and to live and love as He did. Pray that God would give us ways to live and love and minister to others today.

“Trying to do the Lord’s work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.”   ― Corrie ten Boom

We Are All Called  

The good news is that every Christian gets to be part of the work God is doing. The call never ends. The focus may change from local to the world - or from the world to local - or a little of both, but God is always teaching and preparing us for His next assignment. 

When we returned to the US, after fifteen years of ministry in Guatemala; we thought our time of ministering to the Spanish speaking community was done and that we would be moving on to something else.  Then, to our surprise, we were given the opportunity to pastor a small Hispanic congregation here. We moved to the states, and God brought us the world!  

Through the years, our group has had people from Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Spain, Cuba, Dominican Republic, to name a few. Amazingly, He calls every one of us to join in sharing with others His plan of reconciling the world to himself in Christ. We are called to be His witnesses no matter where we are!  Our lives, our perspective and our desire to see God’s love and message of hope to be proclaimed to the ends of the earth – and our neighbor next door – continues to be our call for as long as we live. What a privilege to be His child, His disciple, His ambassador, and witness.  

Responding to the call always requires something more. Whether-

• in Jerusalem (with our own family and other believers),

• in Judea (our neighborhoods, co-workers, friends that we have things in common with),

• or Samaria (people like us in some ways, but with very different beliefs and practices),

• or to the ends of the earth (Crossing cultures, languages, and borders).

Does That Mean We Are All Missionaries?  

I have heard two different views.  Most would define missionaries as those who are sent out to share the gospel of Jesus to the “ends of the Earth”  with people who have not heard. The word is used to describe people who feel specifically called for cross-cultural missions.  This is the more narrow definition. 

The broader definition would include every believer. We are all called to share the Gospel. It could be with a family member, a neighbor next door, a co-worker, or a stranger on the street. We are all called to be witnesses; even Paul said we were all ambassadors for Christ and the gospel. An ambassador defined as someone sent on another’s behalf to represent that person and to speak for him. 

 ... that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are, therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  2 Corinthians 5:19-21 

Ultimately, it is also fulfilling the greatest commandment to love God and love others. Go where God is calling you to share the good news and share it, even if it happens to be next door. But consider that He might be sending you today further, just as He sent Paul to the “ends of the Earth.”

What if You Feel Called to the Ends of the Earth? 

What if you feel a calling to hop an airplane, not just to travel – but to move to another country?  

What does it look like to go to the ends of the earth then?   What if you feel called to be a ‘missionary’?  

That calling requires us to learn and interact with people and cultures and languages, not our own.  If we are called to love them, teach them, and witness to them, then we need to know and love the people and their customs, while proclaiming the gospel.  This is not always easy or comfortable.  It is an investment of time and sacrifice. The where and the how of His calling is only learned as we sit in God’s presence.  So that when He asks us, as He asked Isaiah, “Who can I send? Who will go for us?” and like Isaiah, after he had first  recognized his own weakness and unclean life and had received forgiveness for himself, responded, “Here I am. Send me…”  

Listen for the confirmation in His Word. Seek counsel, support, and help. Research. Prepare. Trust God. Do not Fear.  

Additional Resources

Here are some of the books and movies that I grew up with.  Their lives and stories inspired me as I read or watched the amazing stories of their lives unfold on the big screen. Something stirred in me.  I would recommend them to you if your call and passion are drawing you to World Missions:

Books:

• Through the Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliott

• Peace Child by Don Richardson

• The Savage, My Kinsman by Elisabeth Elliott

• Uncle Cam: The Story of William Cameron Townsend by James & Marty Hefley

• David Livingstone: Explorer and Missionary by Sam Wellman

• The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom

Movies:

• The Hiding Place (1975)

• Peace Child (1972) 30-minute film

• Through the Gates of Splendor (1967)

• End of the Spear (2005)

• Chariots of Fire (1981)

• Paul, Apostle of Christ (2018)

Resources

We’ve created a free downloadable PDF to explore the article deeper. It contains discussion questions about the topic in general terms that will give you a jumping-off point for beginning a conversation.

The second page contains a way to see the topic from a biblical perspective.

And finally, to go deeper into the subject, we have chosen a few curated resources to explore from other authors’ and thinkers’ research or perspectives.

Read. Engage. Enjoy!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Depending on how a gem is held, light refracts differently. At B+PC we engage in Pop Culture topics to see ideas from a new angle, to bring us to a deeper understanding. And like Pastor Shane Willard notes, we want “…Jesus to get bigger, the cross to get clearer, the Resurrection to be central…” Instead of approaching a topic from “I don’t want to be wrong,“ we strive for the alternative “I want to expand my perspective.” 

So, we invite you to engage with us here. What piqued your curiosity to dig deeper? What line inspired you to action? What idea made you ask, “Hmmm?” Let’s join with our community to wrestle with our thoughts in love in the Comment Section! See you there!