Phillip Rice

In a world inundated with noise and distractions, the profound truth that those saved by Christ are also sent to share his message often gets lost in the shuffle of daily life. The essence of Christianity lies not merely in personal salvation but in the transformative journey from redemption to responsibility, from being rescued to becoming a rescuer. Consider the words of Jesus to his disciple after his resurrection and before he ascended to heaven:

Missionaries are sent and mission work is accomplished because at some point someone inspired those missionaries to take the teachings of God’s Word seriously. And as a result, they gave their whole life to the cause of Christ. Such is the story of Brother Jerry Kidd, who soaked up the teachings of God for the purpose of sharing the Savior with those who need him.

Scripture is filled with examples of how the Lord will use the weak, the unlikely, and those whom you would never foresee Him using to accomplish His will and purpose in the world. I would like to begin my story by saying I am one of those examples.

Missions itself was an idol in my life, and I didn't realize that until I went to college. During a student-led service, I went through this list of diagnostic questions to assess my heart: Would I give up my family and never see them again in order to obey my call to missions? Would I be able to do it? Would I still respond to the call? The answer was that it'd be difficult, but yes, I would do it.