Growing a heart for Europe

They say confession is good for the soul. I must

confess to you that I have been judgmental. I

used to think, though probably didn’t verbalize

or admit, that missionaries from North America

needed to be sent to places like Africa or Asia,

but not to Europe. After all, I reasoned, Europe

has had its chance. They’ve heard the Gospel.

God had acted within their history and raised up

many great leaders of faith like Martin Luther,

John Calvin, John Wesley and others to

evangelize Europe. The Bible and the steeple

were in their villages but still they had chosen

unbelief, becoming hard hearted to the things of

God. In the past when I was going to support a

missionary it was going to be among poor people

with real needs, not Europe.

No, I wasn’t swallowed by a whale and spat up

on the shores of England in order to go preach in

Oxford, but after reading through the Book of

Jonah today, I feel encased with some intestinal

whale slime. I am all too much like Jonah, the

reluctant witness. Jonah was judgmental too. He

wanted mercy for himself and for his own people

but not for the sinful city of Nineveh. However,

that’s where God sent him to bring a message of

prophecy so the people might have an

opportunity to repent and turn back to God.

Jonah reluctantly landed at Nineveh’s shores and

God went to work on both the heart of the

congregation and the preacher as both needed

transformation.

I have been living in England for just over a year

now and upon reflection, recognize how God has

been working on my heart. I have talked to my

neighbor who recalled the horrors of World War

II during his childhood and the disillusionment

of its aftermath. I’ve listened to moms admit that

while they don’t see that there is a God with any

relevancy for their life, they did wonder if there

was a higher power when their baby was born.

I’ve met more children than I care to count who

don’t seem to know anything of my Jesus who

visited churches who are struggling with how to

speak to this new generation. In short, I am finding

a huge need for the Good News of Jesus Christ in a

place called England and God is starting to form in

me a heart for the people in this great land. It’s as

though I can hear God say to me as he corrected

Jonah’s thinking, “Should I not be concerned about

that great city….” (Jonah 4:11)

Jonah whined for Nineveh to “get what they

deserved” yet God wanted to pour out His love

and mercy once again. While Jonah was

inconsistent, God continued to faithfully act within

his character, repeatedly demonstrating his heart

for the world. Our God is a God of steadfast love

and mercy who longs to forgive and restore (Jonah

4:2). Amazingly, our call, as Christ’s followers is to

join in with this ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor

5:19). So I hope you, our ministry team of prayer

and financial support will join with me in being

increasingly open to laboring for England. We

need your support at this season as there is so

much work to be done. Indeed all of Europe needs

the Gospel presented to them in a culturally

relevant way within this generation. They need His

grace. Just like us. May God continue to transform

us all to have a heart like His--one that longs to

embrace the nations. --Nicole