We have good news. Those who did not have to return home are seeing a greater impact of their ministries and one especially is seeing an exponential growth in new disciples being born and forming small groups. It is even more amazing as this is happening in one of the most closed countries in the 1040 window (does anyone still use that term?) 

Those who are now returning are finding a vastly different situation as restrictions are still in place. God is in control and it is up to us to figure out what His plan is from here onwards. Some have had to revert to being ESL teachers in order to be able to return.

It has always been my personal contention that tentmakers “befriend” local authorities instead of ignoring or hiding from them. We have many stories of local authorities coming to the rescue and even helping with visa applications based on these friendships. There is even a great story from the hermit kingdom of a government official assigned to the classroom of an English teacher to monitor the teaching coming to Jesus and allowing a Bible study to take place with the students.

With the above in mind, I quote from an email received a few days ago from a tentmaker couple who just returned to their adopted home.

As we were getting settled, a local police officer who lived in the neighborhood came up to me and the apartment owner and said hello. He was friendly. In some senses, this draws me back to when we had the officers in charge of foreign affairs telling us we needed to leave our last town. And yet it was obviously God’s provision to have him connect with us. He even said that when we want to apply for residency that he could take us to the office and help with that. That was two days ago. Today he had us over (his family lives just around the corner) to have the special Friday meal of couscous with his family. It turns out his children are the same age as our children. He offered for the kids to play with theirs.

I am reminded of an uncomfortable conversation while being detained some years ago where the official said he did not like foreigners who pretended not to be missionaries even though he knew they were. He then told me quite angrily that we all thought he was stupid. I responded by saying that not everyone thinks he is stupid as I personally thought of him as very clever. His demeanor changed immediately, and we had coffee together before he let me go.

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

By Ari Rocklin