By Chee Hoe Koay, International Vice President
Stay or leave? During the global pandemic, that is the soul-wrenching question that many of our cross-cultural missionaries around the world are asking.
For those serving in difficult locations, where medical care is precarious and governments are unstable, remaining on the field can mean jeopardizing a family’s health and security. Some of our missionaries who have sick or quarantined relatives in their home countries wonder if by staying on the field they would be abandoning family responsibilities.
Choosing to leave is equally complicated. Pioneering missionaries have worked for years to develop kinship among non-believing friends. How might those friends respond if the missionary family packs up and leaves? Many of our missionaries operate legitimate missional businesses that have taken years to establish. What might happen to those enterprises if they leave? What about the needs of local employees?
One of our pioneering missionary families, who is working among unreached people in a difficult Asia-Pacific location, eloquently described the situation this way:
Dust storms barraged our city in early summer. A quick dimming of the sun interrupted a pleasant day. Suddenly the wall of whipping wind, dust and sand engulfed us. Chaos descended as windows and doors banged shut, as loosely secured tin was ripped off roofs, and as trash and grit swirled.
The storm of Covid-19 rumbled into our lives in much the same way. It darkened our perspective, reduced our security, and created swirling questions in our souls. If we leave, would we be fleeing from risk when God is asking us to embrace it for the sake of the Gospel? Would leaving make our friends feel like we're abandoning them? How do I balance our love for them with my role to love, protect, and provide for my wife and children? Is this a test of my apostolic quality and character?
After days of confusion, the Lord finally gave us greater faith to stay on the field. 'He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again' (2 Corinthians 1:10).
Then our government embassy offered us an evacuation flight. Prejudice and violence against foreigners, who were seen as virus carriers, had been increasing in our region. Hearing about this, our landlord exclaimed, 'If anyone messes with you, call me right away! Day or night I'll be here to protect you.' A nearby food market owner told us, 'If you run out of money, don't worry. My whole shop is yours. Come get what you need.' Our friends and employees expressed relief that we had decided to stay.
As we endured the lockdown, the opportunities to serve and share increased. Our bonds with friends strengthened. We learned Paul’s secret of contentment, and that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. He’s our treasure, he’s our hope, and he will deliver.
As Navigator leaders and missionaries grapple with these tensions, we are creating space for everyone to seek God together in humility. “Together” means including local friends in the decision to stay or leave. In this way, our missionaries can honestly say, as Paul did, “So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:8).
Our missionaries and leaders are naturally concerned about the welfare and safety of their families and team members. But each situation is unique. Those who, in the Lord, choose to leave are not cowards. And those who, in the Lord, choose to stay are not fools.
Regardless of each decision, we all long to see God use this pandemic for Gospel breakthroughs. Sometimes that requires embracing risk, as was the case for Paul.
I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers . . . (2 Corinthians 11:23-27).
Please pray for our cross-cultural missionaries as they seek God’s leading, and as they all wholeheartedly carry God’s love and grace to a needy world.
Chee Hoe Koay has been an international vice president of The Navigators since January 2020. He and his wife, Bitt, began their Navigator ministry in Malaysia, eventually becoming the regional director for Asia-Pacific in 2013. He and Bitt have three adult children.
