Retirement or Redirection?

by Bryan Stensaas

Over the years, I have heard many opinions about missionary retirement. Some believe that once a person has served on the field for many years, they have earned the right to rest. Others feel a missionary should never step away from ministry responsibilities. Cheri and I never imagined we would one day have to leave the mission field. We fully expected to serve in Uganda for the remainder of our lives. Yet medical challenges are real, and sometimes the Lord redirects our steps in ways we would not have chosen for ourselves. I struggled with guilt and frustration for quite some time after having to return to the States, but I finally realized God put us exactly where He wanted us so we just needed to rest in Him and get to work.

Some say we are retired. The simple truth is we have not retired—we have only slowed down because of physical limitations and we redirected our focus and abilities. Our calling to serve the Lord has not changed. Our location and pace may have changed, but our purpose remains the same.

Cheri continues to serve faithfully. She teaches ladies in our church and personally disciples many women. She speaks at ladies’ meetings in churches and is always ready to encourage younger women in their walk with Christ. She also faithfully assists me in carrying out the ministry the Lord has entrusted to us. Though our season of ministry looks different than it once did, her heart for serving the Lord and helping others constantly grows and has not diminished.

As for me, I remain busy studying, teaching, and preaching as much as my health allows. Although I cannot walk long distances or stand for extended periods, God has graciously provided many opportunities to continue ministering. I am grateful to be able to teach missions classes online for West Coast Baptist College. In our home church, I teach several institute classes. My present class has 38 students. When both teenagers and older believers asked if I would teach them more about missions, I gladly began another missions class that now includes 20 students eager to learn about God’s work around the world. Many of the college students from our church are in Bible college studying for different mission fields.

I also teach an adult Sunday school class and fill in for our pastor when needed. Over recent years, I have had the privilege of teaching different books of the Bible and various topics during both Sunday and Wednesday evening services. Additionally, I am grateful for opportunities to assist other pastors in the area when they are ill or need temporary help. Besides that, the Lord continues to open doors of service, even if they look different from those we once walked through overseas. There are always several maintenance jobs to do at the church. They did, however, bar me from climbing ladders when both my ladder and I came tumbling down like the walls of Jericho—another change of focus.

We are still able to teach and preach in missions conferences and family conferences, which allows us to continue challenging churches about the importance of world-wide evangelism. We are also currently working on a book—something many have requested—sharing our missionary experiences and the lessons God has taught us through the years. Our desire is that these accounts will encourage others to trust God fully and obey His call without hesitation.

Our church family occasionally jokes by asking whether we are visitors and whether we have checked the dictionary definition of retirement. When we look around the congregation, it is a tremendous blessing to see individuals we have led to Christ and those we have discipled now faithfully serving the Lord. That fruit reminds us that ministry is never wasted and that God continues His work through faithful servants in every season of life.

We may have had to slow down, but we have not stopped serving. In a world as troubled and wicked as ours and with countless souls still without Christ, this is no time to step aside completely. Instead, it is time to adjust, refocus, and faithfully continue to do what we can while we can. Those of us to whom God has blessed with age and physical issues know and understand our personal limitations. If you are at that stage of life, do not think you have to do everything you used to or that you are out of God’s will if you cannot. As long as God gives strength and opportunity, we desire to remain steadfast—serving Him and reaching others for Christ.

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