What questions do you ask when you find yourself in the midst of a dangerous situation away from home? How do you balance your sense of God’s calling with personal safety? What is the impact on your family?

In the first of a two-part series, we asked several UFM mission partners who have had to grapple with these very real challenges to share their experiences.

Facing Ebola in Sierra Leone

“Ebola erupted as I left Sierra Leone for a two-month home assignment. It was painful to leave knowing people were desperately suffering. Ebola was killing thousands, many of whom had never heard the gospel.

God had every right to ask me to take some risk for the sake of the gospel

In a crisis, God can lead some to stay and some to go; I needed to know what God required of me. I had a strong desire to return but also a deep conviction: God doesn’t call us to be reckless, but he doesn’t always call us to safety either. God had every right to ask me to take some risk for the sake of the gospel. I had a tremendous sense of God’s leading and peace, and wasn’t fearful about going back.

What was a struggle, was managing the call to go, with the need for submission to those I had placed myself under, and trusting that God would make His way clear to all.

UFM graciously walked with me in my frustration and impatience, seeking God, asking the difficult questions, and acknowledging the concerns of my family and church, who supported me to do God’s will even though it was painful for them. 

As I returned, Ebola was increasing, many were dying and treatment beds were scarce. The fear was palpable. Our team made ourselves available to those God placed in our lives. The gospel message was at the forefront of our response, but there were also practical ways of helping: providing food and Ebola-prevention supplies. There were daily opportunities to be God’s hands, feet and voice.

We couldn’t run our usual ministry activities, but just being there, standing alongside others, crying out to God, resulted in strong relationships and a deeper dependence on God. The situation might have seemed risky, but God’s will was the safest place to be.”

Jayne Dumbuya serves with her husband, Lamin, in children’s and church ministry in Sierra Leone

Living through instability and conflict in West Africa 

“Recent times are bringing the return of a high degree of uncertainty to the lives of people living in the West. Predicting which way social life, the economy, or political responses will go, feels harder than in previous years. 

Such things, though, can cause us to reflect on how unusual (and perhaps unhelpful) the bubble of the modern West has been to pilgrims called to live daily by faith. Massive uncertainty, and highly precarious living conditions, are simply normality for much of the world for much of history. And compared to contemporary Western mission workers, most people have vastly fewer practical resources to turn to. 

We live in an area at the forefront of the advance of Islam in West Africa, in a country changing rapidly under this influence. Learning to respond to new and different sorts of uncertainties has been part of our life since moving to Africa in 2007. We’ve just been catching up with many of the believers around us here, who have much to teach us.

We have learned to ask fewer ‘why ?’ questions

At one time we were withdrawn by the mission’s security team and have had to adapt our ministry focus as instability increased in different parts of the country. We reviewed how we had got to the present point, what the choices were, and wondered where God was leading us. We have learned to ask fewer “why?” questions about the past: the Supreme Commander sees the whole map and knows why, and to demand what is not promised is not faith but folly. 

Our privilege is to joyfully receive our marching orders for the next challenge, and leave things that are too big for us with God. Our children have had to say many sad goodbyes – but also had the blessing of meeting up with old friends in new places even years later, and being able to see that the Lord has been faithful. 

There is much to be done, and we pray for the coming of more workers in all areas. Might the Lord be calling you?”

David and Liz work in Bible teaching, training, and compassion ministries in West Africa