By a brother of one of our Boots on the Ground workers.

If He must sacrifice my temporal comfort in the present age to ensure their eternal salvation in the age to come, He will. It is mine to align myself with His sovereign perspective and to rejoice with Him when these lost souls are recovered.

A few weeks ago, a seemingly ordinary day suddenly devolved into collective chaos. My mom had glanced down and realized the diamond from her engagement ring was missing—a rock that is worth more than I made in a year as graduate student. Our family’s normal morning routine came to a screeching halt. Understandably, Mom was distraught. Everybody pitched in and did their part to turn the house over in search of that tiny, elusive gem. The house was swept multiple times, couch cushions were scrutinized, steps were retraced, laundry was shaken—all to no avail. The stakes were high and the results lacking. By night fall, although I was hesitant to confess it to my mom, all hope seemed to be lost. The search was called off. The diamond was gone, forever.

The whole ordeal reminded me of a parable Jesus told in Luke 15:8–10. In this teaching, Christ tells his disciples a story about a woman who loses a silver coin. The woman is both diligent and persistent. She will not be dissuaded until the lost object is recovered. She lights a lamp when sweeping her house over, presumably because she is still searching even after the sun has set. Finally, her tenacious spirit pays off, and when she finds the coin, she calls her friends together to celebrate her good fortune. 

In life, there are times hope seems completely lost. This is certainly how I felt when I had done everything to find my mom’s diamond yet failed. As I sat despondent in the living room that night, the Holy Spirit told me to search one more time. Reluctant and skeptical, I went to the kitchen. When I moved the heavy food processor out of the way, endorphins unexpectedly shot through my nervous system when I saw that small, shiny rock smiling up at me. I cannot explain the ineffable feeling to you—it is only something you would understand after losing and regaining something of great worth.

Note well, dear reader, all hope is not lost so long as God remains in control.

The Lord is also in the business of recovering something, or rather someone, of great worth. All around the globe, millions of lost souls perish each day without access to the soul-saving gospel of Jesus Christ.

Admittingly, the task seems overwhelming and hopeless. Yet God is both diligent and persistent. He will not be dissuaded until these lost souls, of immense value to him, are recovered. The search has not been called off. His Spirit is tenacious to the end.

As the brother of a missionary, I feel acutely the pain of seeing my sibling and his family far less than the average American. To be perfectly transparent with you, there have been times I have sparred with the Lord over this topic. Why did it have to be my brother? Was there no other way? In response, the Lord graciously reminded me of an important truth: God cares so much about the lost Muslim families along the Silk Road that He is willing to leave no stone unturned in reaching these precious souls.

If He must sacrifice my temporal comfort in the present age to ensure their eternal salvation in the age to come, He will. It is mine to align myself with His sovereign perspective and to rejoice with Him when these lost souls are recovered. I have been invited to the celebration party. 

Not all of us will have family members go overseas as missionaries, but all of us are called to sacrifice momentary pleasures for the advancement of the eternal kingdom. My sacrifice is no greater than yours. We are all called to this mission and we are a part of the same team. Ergo, thank you for joining the rescue party! You are necessary. We have so much work to do—so let’s get to it!