CMS missionaries M & K serve the Lord in South Asia. Here, M shares his reflections during a morning bus trip to the city.

“As I look around the bus I wonder—how will these people, and the thousands that we are passing by on the street, get an opportunity to hear?”

An early morning bus ride

5:30am: I’m sitting on a rickshaw, the sun rising over my left shoulder. The sky is pale blue, with bright, white clouds. As I arrive at the bus stand, taking in the stillness and beauty of the early morning, I found myself thinking, “Very early in the morning, Jesus rose to pray. What a privilege it is to be able to speak to our Good Father!”

5:45am: As I board the early morning bus, I notice my fellow passengers. The majority are men—some in Western business clothing, others in more traditional outfits. There are some older married women, as well as two young ladies travelling by themselves. Having each been escorted onto the bus by a relative, the younger women now sit side by side at the front of the bus.

Confronted by ‘lostness’

6:00am: I listen to the final sermon from one of our sending churches, in a series titled “Lost and Found”. I’m filled with delight hearing the testimonies of two young women being baptised as part of the service. Yet, I also feel very aware that the youth groups, camps, and leaders who were key in their faith journeys simply don’t exist here. How will youth here come to know Jesus? I’m confronted by the lostness of the community to which we have been sent.

6:30am: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14-15).  As the speaker unpacks these words, I look around the bus—we’re here. We are here as “found” individuals living in this sea of lostness. It is a privilege to share life with, be in relationship with, support and encourage people here.

As I look around the bus I wonder—how will these people, and the thousands that we are passing by on the street, get an opportunity to hear and believe? In an hour or so, this bus will arrive in the capital—one of the most densely populated cities in the world. A megacity crammed full of people lost and without hope.

Invited to find

7:40am: As the bus draws near the city, the sermon comes to an end. The minister invites listeners to consider how Jesus invites his followers to be bearers of hope and joy. How is Jesus inviting you to join what he is doing and help lost people be found?

I think of the millions here and ask God to send more workers. I ask for more people to be sent to live amongst, serve, and love the millions of lost individuals in this sea of overwhelming lostness. Will you join me in asking that more would be prepared and willing to go to the lost—and that they would be sent! So that many may hear, know, and have new life in him.

GO

Has M’s story prompted your heart to consider serving cross-culturally? Why not start a conversation with your local branch today! Click here to find out more.