Some churches in the Far East have embraced the call, commitment, and cost of missionary work to the unreached.  Here’s a bulletin from a good friend of mine involved in training new missionary candidates from these gloriously missions-passionate cell churches:

All the largest house church networks began in rural areas many years ago and have spread [throughout the Far East].  Our network … was the first network to start a missionary training center to send workers outside [their home country]. What an honor to spend a week teaching [them], to hear their testimonies, and to meet former students coming back from the mission field. Here’s more of the story …

In 1999, our first candidate class was filled with many of the children and relatives of our network’s leaders. I asked the leaders why had they “stacked the deck” with so many of their own family. Didn’t they know about nepotism or cronyism? Yes, they did know of those terms. “But,” they said, “you don’t understand.” I said, “If your children go to Muslim countries, they may get arrested, be put in prison, be kicked out of the country—even killed. Are you prepared for that?” Then, I was told, “You don’t understand. We know that will happen. That is why we’re sending our own children first. When our kids are killed, we will then tell our church members, ‘We already sent our children. Now you need to send your children.’” We all then cried.

The third and fifth stanzas of the familiar misisons hymn, “O Zion Haste,” express it, also:

Proclaim to every people, tongue, and nation That God, in Whom they live and move, is love; Tell how He stooped to save His lost creation, And died on earth that we might live above. Give of thy sons to bear the message glorious; Give of thy wealth to speed them on their way; Pour out thy soul for them in prayer victorious; O Zion, haste to bring the brighter day.

How will you spend your children?