Seeing God on the Mission Field: Love

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.” (1 John 3:1a)

Saying Goodbye

The final day of the school year has arrived. The cool mountain air hums with conversation, laughter, and the weight of goodbyes. After my many months of teaching, encouraging, and walking alongside these students, this moment marks the end of a season we have shared together.

For many of them, school has been more than lessons. It has been a place of safety, encouragement, and hope. Now it is time to part.

One young man takes my hand in a firm grip. “I’ll miss you, Miss Natalie. Thank you for everything.”

He stops as his voice breaks. He lowers his head, shoulders shaking, and before I have time to think, I pull him into a hug. He weeps quietly, resting his forehead on my shoulder, unconcerned with the other students who are watching.

I remember the conversations we shared this year. When I encouraged him after yet another terrible fight with his violent father. When I gave him my lunch because he came late to school after working since dawn and had no food. When I challenged him to view himself as the leader he is and do good with his talents.

I lean close and speak softly. “The most important thing is that you have a relationship with God. I want to see you in heaven someday.”

He nods, gripping tighter, and when his tears finally stop, he steps back and straightens himself. He is taller now than when I first met him three years ago. He has grown in more ways than one.

Trusting God With What We Leave Behind

As I say goodbye to the rest of the students, I repeat the same words to each of them: Seek God. And beneath every farewell, my prayer rises with the same plea. Father, draw them to Yourself.

Moments like this remind me why God has called me to serve on the mission field. People often ask what I love most about my work. While teaching at the village school, my days are filled with grading and lesson planning, yet those tasks are not what sustain me. What fills my heart are the relationships God has entrusted to me; I have the opportunity to walk alongside young men and women who are searching for meaning, hope, and truth.

Love That Begins with the Father

God has given me a deep burden for those I serve. Through genuine love, He allows trust to grow, and through that trust, doors open to share the greater love they were created to know. Love becomes the language through which the gospel is lived before it is spoken.

Yet the greatest comfort to me, especially on the days when my heart feels heavy under the weight of brokenness and sin, is this truth: as deeply as I love those God has placed in my care, He loves them infinitely more.

He loves them more than I do. He knows them more than I do. And He can take care of them far more than I ever could.

On the mission field, love is both a gift and a sacrifice. It means opening your heart fully, knowing it may be broken. But it also means catching a glimpse of God’s own heart, a heart that loves without limits and pursues without hesitation.

As we reflect on love in February, and throughout the year, may we remember that true love does not originate in us. It flows from the Father who has lavished it upon us. As we seek Him and are filled with His love, only then can we reflect and share His love with those around us. And as His people, whether serving across the world or in our own communities, we are called to pour out that love freely, trusting Him with the outcome whatever or whenever that may be.

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