When a Christian is asked if they will die for their faith, they usually answer yes in some form. I was the same way. It is easy to say yes in America where we have very little threat of actually dying for our faith. It is easy because it isn't a reality to us. I was the exact same way until recently. For me, it became a reality when I was filling out paperwork two weeks ago.
This summer I am serving as a Global Justice Volunteer through the General Board of Global Ministries. The Global Justice Program is an eight week service opportunity for young adults between the ages of 18 and 30. The volunteers come from all over the world and serve throughout several countries. They spend June through August looking at the links between faith and social justice as they work with local grassroots organizations. The volunteers work with their host community to address critical issues in global health, poverty, human trafficking, and migrants' rights. The program allows volunteers to develop new skills, learn from local experts, and channel their passion to help make a difference in the world.
The placement sites this summer are in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean/Latin America. Not once during the whole application process did I feel nervous about where I would go. I was confident that I would be perfectly safe wherever I was sent. I found out about two weeks ago that I will be spending the summer in Nicaragua. I couldn't wait to get more information about my placement site. A few days after that, I got paperwork I needed to fill out. It seemed to be basic stuff like a liability form, agreeing to follow their rules, and a medical form. My world shook when I got to the last form.
At the top it read Notification of Death. I began reading this form closer. I was being asked to decide if I wanted my body cremated or not before being shipped back to my home country. I had to list what funeral home I wanted to receive my body. What do I want done with my personal possessions? It was a full sheet of questions of what I wanted to happen if I died while serving. As any college student would do, I called my mom because I had no idea how to answer the questions.
After being shook by the Notification of Death form, I went back and read the liability form. Once again, my world crumbled a little more. The liability release held phrases like "civil insurrection or warfare" and "post-warfare hazards such as landmines." With every word I read on the forms I filled out, my potential death became a real possibility. For the first time, I felt the heaviness of the fact that I could die while doing what God has called me to do. Yes, the chances of me dying this summer aren't very likely and the missions organization is going to do everything they can to keep me safe. Yet it is still a possibility.
My faith was put to test by the paperwork. I received those forms on Wednesday, and I attend a worship service on Wednesday nights. That night I sincerely told God I would follow wherever I was called, even if it meant my death. The sincerity of my prayer was raw and heartfelt. It was heavy with the seriousness, but still full of joy. I might die for my faith.
I hope next time someone asks you if you are willing to die for your faith, you will really consider it. Don't respond quickly or in a joking matter. It is a reality for many Christians throughout the world, and now it is one for me as well. You never know where God is going to send you so only say yes if you are willing to die. Your answer may become a reality when you least expect it.
