When Did We See You…
A letter from the Editor – Ron Barnes
Returning from India recently, I was reminded of a story that forever impacted one of our missionaries. This missionary told me of taking my grandfather, Glenn Dix, former CEO of SLM for many years, and my grandmother, Joyce to a little village they had ministry in just outside their city. It was an area set aside for people who were sick, mostly with leprosy, where they could live without attracting as much attention as in the city.
Our missionary recalled the heartbreak so evident on my grandparents’ faces watching these men, women, and children live in isolation, even from one another, despite having similar issues. If you have never seen leprosy before, take my word for it, it is awful, traumatizing even.
But the missionary told me how at one point on their walk, my grandmother paused, staring at an older woman who was particularly disfigured with the disease. She walked towards this woman, somewhat startling her.
My grandmother drew closer and closer until they were sitting side by side. My grandmother then abruptly leaned in and full-body embraced this leprous woman. The woman began to cry, as did our missionaries, and proceeded to tell her another person hadn’t touched her in decades, particularly not to embrace.
To this day, the missionary still tears up remembering the kindness, compassion, and love my grandmother showed toward this leprous woman. But for my grandmother, it was just another day of using her gift of compassion toward those who were hurting.
We all know those people, like my grandmother, who seem to gravitate to those who are hurting and feel compelled to minister and care for them. For some people, this is their gift, but for others, it’s a learned awareness, looking for people who need to be ministered to.
People living in this current season in history overwhelmingly are in need of being ministered to, loved, reassured, and given rest. Pandemic, war, persecution, politics, cancel culture, leadership failure, religious disillusionment, and just today as I write, another school shooting.
This season is an unending darkness they cannot escape. Which is why now, perhaps more than ever before in human history, Christians need to be on the lookout for those in need and help like Jesus would help.
For I was a hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
(Matthew 25:35–40 kjv)
We have all heard the stories of “undercover pastors,” visiting their churches like a homeless person, and we secretly dread that we might one day be the one to overlook, dismiss or even reject “that kind of person.”
Jesus never needed to go undercover. He knew immediately the hearts of men, which is exactly why He needed to share this parable. It’s far too easy for us as Christians, even those of us in ministry, to justify our busyness to overlook the everyday people God puts in our path, people who are in great need. Even if the need is material.
We can even make the excuse that our ability to help is spiritually, not materially. But, truth be told, we could probably do both. I used to tell my church-planting trainees that usually before we can take out withdrawals from people’s “spiritual bank accounts,” we need to put something in them. Loving people and demonstrating it, sometimes materially, can open doors for spiritual conversations.
This edition of the Reaper focuses on some of the ways SLM missionaries and ministries are doing just that: giving food to the hungry, drink for the thirsty, taking in the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the prisoner. For every point Jesus made, God has used SLM missionaries to respond even before it was asked, treating every occasion like Jesus would have, and perhaps like it was Jesus Himself.
From housing, feeding and clothing refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, as well as the similar needs among orphans from the communities our ministries serve throughout Asia and Africa, to going to the poor and uneducated in their areas of influence, our missionaries have gone to great lengths, even to the point of exhaustion, to show love and compassion as Jesus’ hands and feet. And God has provided every step of the way.
God has used many of you to provide for these needs. You, too, responded like our missionaries, generously, to allow our missionary to have the means to materially help, with hopes of meeting their deepest need for a Savior.
It is our desire that you can get just a taste of how your involvement, paired with SLM’s hands and feet, are responding the way that Jesus expected as He shared this parable:
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
