TEAMS for Medical Missions

PO Box 215 ~ Macungie, PA 18062

Obedience trumps safety

The Nichols’, Hentzels’, and T4MM families have lost two very precious people violently and suddenly. And we will miss Harold and Randy very, very much. We have received three common responses from people. First, people do not know what to say – how do you comfort a spouse, a son or daughter, a co-worker, in the midst of a tragedy such as this? Second, people want to help, in whatever way they can. And third, people are now afraid of going to Jamaica. People are asking what Sara and Teri are going to do. They ask what we as a mission are going to do. How do you continue as a small mission when you lose half of your in-country team? The short answer is, we don’t know exactly. But this we do know, God is more concerned about our obedience than our safety. What we know to be true is that God has called us as a mission to Jamaica, and the death of two of our missionaries hasn’t changed that. We love the people of Jamaica. We are committed to the people of Jamaica. And the ministry in and to Jamaica will continue. You may be reading reports of mission teams cancelling trips to Jamaica – fear is a natural response – but it is not a biblical one. I love the admonition God gives Joshua in Joshua 1:1-9 – He says, Moses my servant is dead, now therefore arise…just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. Since the fall of the human race, death has been a part of life. Psalm 139:16 tells us that before we were born our number of days were determined. As awful and painful as it was to lose Harold and Randy, it was their time. As we look back we see how God was preparing them and us for their departure – things we did not understand until now. Mr. Beaver in the Chronicles of Narnia, answers the question as to whether Aslan the Lion is safe. He says in exasperation, “Safe? Of course he isn’t safe – but He is good.” We do not serve a safe God, we serve a good God. Life is not about me, my comfort, or my safety. Life is about God and His glory.