Longevity in the Ministry of Missions: Blessing or Not?

Sometimes a missionary works as part of a team and for one reason or another, important members of the team drop out or other wise leave and all of the work falls into the lap of the person who remains on the field.

 So, what to do? You could ...

1. Resent being "trapped"in a ministry, become bitter and quit, or

2. Give that ministry 100% of your best efforts and determine to serve God there, believing that God often puts us in difficult places so that we can make a difference for His glory and for the increase of His kingdom.

Our many years on the field have given us some insights. I personally believe that longevity on the mission field is a great blessing. In our first few terms, we used to think that we were Americans who worked in Puerto Rico, but who would leave when the job was done. We were relieved to leave and longed for "real food" and the company of people like ourselves.

Now, after 20 years on the field, we feel that Puerto Rico is our home and that the people we are reaching are people we love. We plan to continue reaching them for Christ because we do love them and know that Christ has the power to give them a better life. They are our friends, our neighbors, and some may soon become members of our family.

We are happy now that we have the opportunity and liberty to reach these people we care about with something that we know that can help them. What could be more exciting and satisfying than to see the souls saved and the lives of those you love transformed?

So, is being on the mission field a long time a blessing or not? It is a blessing, and the longer we serve as missionaries on the field, the bigger that blessing becomes.