The Ropes of Salvation

Something that has been weighing on my mind as of late is the question, “What good does a missionary do if there are no conversions in his or her career? If there are no conversions, are they actually a missionary at all?” The article I read for the final blog post seems to sum it all up nicely.

               

A farmer was attempting to free his boat from the ice and pull it up onto the shore, but a floating piece of ice hit the boat and carried it and the farmer down the icy stream. A neighbor saw what had happened and instructed everyone in that town to lower a piece of rope over the bridge that crossed the river at intervals of two to three feet, because they did not know where the farmer would pass. When the farmer and his broken boat drew nearer, he grabbed the nearest piece of rope and was pulled to safety. This is what missionary work is like.

               

There are never any guarantees that a missionary’s work will be directly successful. Sometimes it takes a little while for the message to sink in. Take Mr Asuncion for example.

               

Mr Asuncion and his wife had gotten into a bad accident; he had lost one foot and the other foot was badly damaged. He lay in a hospital bed and waited to get better. During that time, a friend of his from the same town came to pray with him. There was the first rope of salvation.

               

The second rope was let down by the author and several friends. They too prayed with the Asuncions because the first prayer had helped so much. After this, many more ropes were lowered, but none taken. Finally, after a long while, Mr Asuncion and his wife came to know Christ, and were ecstatic in their newfound faith.

               

I’ve learned through this project (and class) that missions work is so much more complicated than what it is made out to be. Generally in church services where we have missionaries as guest speakers we get to hear about the conversion rate and the poverty and how even though these poor people suffer so there is eternal hope for them. But that is all that missionary work is. It’s a complex dynamic of organizations working together, a person being so devoted to their cause that they’re willing to give up life and limb for a God they cannot see. Missionaries are ready to face these threats because they know that even one rope lowered can encourage a soul on, or lead him to Jesus right then.