Where is your end of the earth?
By Anna McShane —
At a recent college mission conference the speaker challenged students to think about the “ends of the earth.” My husband responded in a daily newsletter to the students that for some of them, just stepping off campus was their “end-of-the-earth.” Good banter ensued.
We took the conversation home to our hostess. Sara and her husband, Ted, were my husband’s students over 30 years ago, and Sara was his artist in a college media department. Then he married them. Long-term friends. Our kids think of them as family. We couldn’t be much more different, though.
Sara is a total homebody. Her end-of-the-earth is at her door. She hates going out to market, to the doctor, or to run errands. Maps drive her nuts. She loves working out of her house. And yet, it isn’t really true that her end-of-the-earth is at her door.
Sara’s home is a delightful collection of country: handmade treasures & hand stitched creativity cover the whole house. In recent years, with kids grown and gone, she has poured her energy into quilting for charities. A bright room off the great room/kitchen has sewing machine, scissors, and a huge table for cutting fabric. Bright squares of material stick out of shelf boxes on three sides. As we came and went from the house, we usually found Sara busy at the machine in the quilt room, knocking off yet another lap quilt for wounded soldiers or abused children. Sara’s quilts go where she doesn’t go herself.
Her end-of-the-earth also comes to her. One day it was a woman whose son had committed suicide last month, sitting helping Sara quilt. Or the phone rings and she’s counseling and encouraging women. A small group meets every fall to design, create and sew gorgeous “Father Christmas” pieces, all the while drinking Sara’s tea and loving being in her home.
A glance at her refrigerator shows how far Sara’s world goes. It is packed with people she prays for – people she keeps in touch with around the world. I find pictures of my family and remote places we’ve visited. Sara is a homebody, but her computer and phone take her way beyond her walls.
The question isn’t really “are you willing to go the ends of the earth?” but are you willing to step over your OWN end-of-the-earth. I don’t expect to ever see Sara far from home, but I know that her quilts, her mentoring, and her friend-sharing letters and notes do take her to the ends of the earth. Sara’s a homebody, but her focus is not on herself; it is on the world.
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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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