Digging up stumps
By Anna McShane —
Dear Pastor Jerry,
You may wonder why I’m writing you a personal letter when you asked us to fill out a questionnaire for the Global Outreach committee. Let me see if I can explain.
First, may I take you on a walk? Leave your office, leave the church, and come down the street with me. Not your street; my street. See the gate ahead? That’s the temple gate. We’ll pray before going inside because, well, we’re entering Satan’s turf and we don’t do that lightly. We need to prepare, not with a formula prayer, but with a push back the darkness prayer.
What? You are feeling a sort of heavy darkness pressing you down? Good. I want you to feel that because the darkness is real. As we move around the temple grounds, please watch what is going on. Yes, the noise is irritating – drums, gongs, incessant meaningless rambling sounds of chant. That is supposed to be worship. Those monks sitting over there smoking – they are the worship leaders. The food on the tables is for the spirits and the firecrackers are driving away the evil spirits. Those people burning paper in a kerosene tin? Oh, they are sending paper money to their ancestors. See, if it burns, it becomes “spirit” and maybe grandfather can use it.
Why have I brought you here? You find it strange and upsetting? But, Pastor Jerry, you need to see this world. It’s where we live.
Now, let’s walk down the main street of town. See all those young girls at the entrance to shops? You might not get approached if you are with me, but if you were by yourself you’d get lots of invitations. To be blunt – they are prostitutes and you are fresh meat. I hope that doesn’t horrify you. You represent money and they need money so they are willing to sell the only product they have – their bodies.
They seem so young? Yes, they ARE young. Why do their parents allow this? Well, probably their fathers already sold them to a pimp. After all, if life has no more meaning than the emptiness you saw back there in the temple, why not sell a worthless girl to get some money? One less mouth to feed, and cash in the pocket.
I could take you further, but this may be enough for right now. I need to go back to the questionnaire I haven’t sent you. The one the Global Outreach committee sent out last week.
One question asked how many people have you seen come to Christ this year? Another asked for our three top goals this next year. Honestly, pastor, we’d prefer to be asked, “What is keeping people around you from coming to faith? How are you meeting those challenges? What ways have you found that penetrate the darkness around you? Can you tell me about the life of one person you are currently sharing your life with in your community?”
When you ask us what our goals are for next year, I get intimidated. It is not that we have no goals, but they may not seem like goals to you. Like, how do you write a goal that says you want to build friendships with the people in your neighborhood?
The committee is looking for concrete numbers and statistics, but we’re living in a world where ministry is holistic, organic, and lacking structure. We often can’t tell you what we do on Monday because Monday this week may be totally different from last week.
“But our people need something concrete,” you say. “After all, they are supporting you.” True. Could you ask us for stories – good and bad? Could you ask us what is NOT going well and how you can pray for those challenges? Could you let us tell you how dark it is here spiritually, how drained we feel most days, how often we’re discouraged, how much time is consumed with sheer mechanics of life?
I’m sorry we can’t tell you that we have five Bible studies going and will see a church established next year. The reality is that in the great spiritual scheme of sowing and reaping, we’re still clearing the field, hauling out rocks, and digging up stumps.
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Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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