Dear Reader,
I write this article as I sit in the lobby of Copenhagen Towers—an aesthetic combination of soaring ceilings, ambient skylights, and lush greenery. The atmosphere is peaceful, professional, put-together. But I, on the other hand, am none of those things. Instead I’m overwhelmed and frazzled, poring over study materials from my very first Danish language class. A year ago I would never have imagined I would be learning a Nordic language and living in Scandinavia’s second-largest city. A year ago I was intently church planting in Squamish, British Columbia. We had developed a network of friends within and outside our new church community. Our life was filled with purpose and direction. Yet God opened doors for this new ministry role. A year later here I am—my life completely altered.
Imagining such a move for yourself might fill you with trepidation. It would dramatically challenge your comfort and routine, your daily life and social structures. This type of move certainly is not for everyone. God may never call you to a new country. Yet some of Jesus’ last words were that the Holy Spirit would use people to be His witnesses in “Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). So no Christian should completely rule out an international calling!
How might the Holy Spirit call you to such a dramatic life shift? We often imagine a voice, strong urges, or miraculous signs. While these might occur, the Holy Spirit also leads by forming us over time. Life circumstances, developing personalities, family histories, the impact of difficult experiences . . . the Holy Spirit guides us through all these means. In reflecting on my family’s recent decision to move to Denmark, I realize that God used all these methods to prepare us for this task. As I share my journey, perhaps you will hear echoes of a calling on your own heart.
No Christian should completely rule out an international calling.
Prepared
I was raised as a missionary kid in Asia, and that enriching experience formed my international lens and interest in cross-cultural ministry. While there were sacrifices, my parents crafted our life as an adventure for Jesus, a fantastic opportunity God had given us to join Him where He was working. We traveled to new countries, spent quality time together, and lived with the conviction that we were a team contributing to something deeply meaningful. This primed me to be drawn to similar opportunities for my own family as an adult. Being a missionary is a rich and even fun calling, in my estimation. I am grateful for how my parents gifted me with my mission experience, and I want my own two daughters to have the same opportunity.
Seeing God as a missionary also motivated my missionary inclination. I found the core meta-narrative of Scripture, the Bible as a mission story, compelling. From Genesis through Revelation God is the missionary, seeking Adam and Eve in Eden, saving Israel in captivity, and incarnating in Bethlehem for the ultimate cross-cultural endeavor. Following Jesus’ ascension the early church gave itself to the same mission, living out Jesus’ mission across an ever-broadening geographic area. Scripture has an uncanny way of not only educating me about God’s mission purpose, but luring me into involvement with it. In fact, long before this international move, God’s missional perspective had already permeated my life. It was motivating as a pastor in British Columbia, and now my life in Denmark is a continuation of the same.
Learning a language, making new friends, starting a church in post-Christian Europe—these things certainly frighten me, but somehow they also entice me. Beware if you have an entrepreneurial spirit. If you are a self-starter and have ideas and visions for new things, you’re in dangerous territory and are prone to my fate! Perhaps God puts a risk-taking and restless tendency in some of us for a reason. In the early church such Christians as Paul and Barnabas had an apostolic gifting to take the message and mission of Jesus into new fields. If you are unsatisfied with the status quo yet see possibilities everywhere, beware! You might be called to an exciting new challenge soon.
To prepare me for His calling, God taught me skills and faith in difficult periods of my life, forming me through crucible experiences. While church planting during the pandemic, I found my energy expended and my plans insufficient. God taught me about the counterintuitive salve of vulnerability: encouragement would come when I admitted my brokenness. My local friends became my pastors, themselves reminding me that God has miraculous ways of bringing something out of nothing. I know that these lessons of openness and trust will serve me well in this new mission.
Called
Back at Copenhagen Towers, I can’t help thinking how much easier it would be to represent Jesus if I worked at a company in this building; if I spoke Danish and ate at the cafeteria with my friends every day. The truth is that the best missionaries are not cross-cultural. My learning curve is steep, it is not an efficient process, and I will never fully master the language.
Yet God called my family here. And whether it is international or local, God’s radical invitation is for all. I invite you to prayerfully reflect on how God has formed you through your own life experiences. What is God’s task for you today, and where might God use you tomorrow? If you live your life to intentionally join God in His mission, whether that be abroad or at home, you will be filled with the purpose and joy I have found on this path. I am excited for what God will accomplish here in Copenhagen over time. But for now, back to my Danish lessons.
Med venlig hilsen.*
* Translated “Kind regards.”