UNITED KINGDOM
by Jane Knoop
CALLED TO WHERE YOU ARE Beth* is a missionary in the city she grew up in. Global Editor, Jane, asked her about ministry life; the journey, the challenges, and why she decided to pursue cross-cultural mission at home in the UK.
What was it like when God called you into missions? It was slow. There wasn’t a big flash of lightning. It was actually very normal and logical! I met Jack* and he also had a heart for sharing God’s love. And by the time we were married, cross-cultural ministry was on the agenda. We decided to train in missions and pray for God’s guiding. How did you end up doing mission work in your home city? We gave God plenty of opportunities to speak to us about a particular country... but as time went on we didn’t really feel called abroad. On our hearts were people here! There are so many people in this country who need to know the Gospel. We made lots of Kurdish friends while I was training to teach English as a foreign
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language. And we wondered, what is happening for these friends of ours? We invited them to church, but it often didn’t meet their needs or their worldview. For most, if not all, we were their only Christian friends, which was quite a scary thought. Some people feel called to a particular country or place. We felt called to serve where we are. The reality is that there are thousands of people who don’t know Jesus right on our doorsteps. For us, it was the Kurdish community who captured our hearts and attention. What does the word ‘missionary’ mean for you? It means many things, but being daring or generous with friendships is how it started. Daring to be more inclusive in social circles. Which I think has been costly, but very rewarding at the same time. Then using knowledge gained through those friendships to know how to reach people with the Gospel.
* Names changed
