Is Jesus Worth It When Missions Involves Loss? (Part 2)

Part 2 of a six-part series on Suffering, Wisdom, and Staying on the Mission Field - This is a series is taken from a Missions Class at Vision School of Missions led by Missionary Kevin White. The book by Don Mingo, "The Cross-Cultural Worker's Spiritual Survival Guide 14 Tips to Help You Thrive in Your Calling," was used as textbook and resource material for discussion.

Every missionary eventually has to face a sobering question:

“Is Jesus really worth this?”

It sounds shocking when you say it out loud. But underneath major losses, that question often quietly surfaces in the heart.

Two stories help us sit honestly with that question.

Timothy Ripken: A 16-year-old MK and a fatal asthma attack

Nick and his wife sensed God calling them to place the gospel where it was virtually unknown. That meant moving their family—including their asthmatic son Timothy—through several African countries and eventually basing in Nairobi to reach Somalis.

They took every precaution. They consulted doctors. They stocked emergency meds. For years, Timothy did well.

Until he didn’t.

On Easter weekend, in the early hours of the morning, Timothy stumbled into his parents’ room, unable to speak, struggling to breathe. His father rushed him toward the hospital, praying, driving through the dark streets.

By the time they arrived, Timothy was barely hanging on. Within an hour, he was gone.

Sixteen years old. On the mission field. In a place they had gone for the sake of Christ.

You can imagine the silent questions:

• If we hadn’t moved here, would he still be alive?
• Is Jesus worth this?
• Have our years of risk and sacrifice even accomplished anything?

Those are not fake questions. They’re not unspiritual questions. They are the real wrestlings of missionary parents whose hearts are breaking.

Brian & Louise Hogan: A baby, a revival, and a funeral at Christmas

In Mongolia, Brian and Louise were part of an early church-planting movement that would eventually see God do great things.

Right in the middle of that hopeful moment, they welcomed a newborn son, Jedidiah.

At a Christmas party, friends and new believers gathered around, celebrating their baby, laughing and rejoicing. It felt like a picture of what God was doing in the country—new life, new hope.

The next morning, on Christmas Eve, Louise woke with a sense that something was wrong. She hurried to Jedidiah’s room and found him cold and still.

SIDS. No warning. No explanation. Just an empty crib and a room full of grief.

In her agony, Louise reportedly repeated, “God is good. God is good. God is good.” Not as a cheesy slogan, but as a desperate clinging to truth when nothing made sense.

For a long time, they didn’t know what God would do with that pain.
Then they began hearing from Mongolian believers:

The way this missionary family grieved—with tears, honesty, and yet deep hope in Christ—confirmed the faith of local Christians and helped propel the church-planting movement forward.

Their baby’s life and death became a testimony of the gospel.

Loss doesn’t “prove” you missed God’s will

We want formulas:

• If we obey, things will go smoothly.
• If something terrible happens, we must have missed God’s leading.

But the Bible and missionary history stubbornly refuse to cooperate with that logic.

• Stephen obeyed and was stoned.
• Paul followed God’s specific direction and ended up shipwrecked and beaten.
• Countless missionaries have buried spouses and children in foreign soil—and God still used their lives powerfully.

We must be very cautious about drawing direct lines between suffering and God’s displeasure, or between safety and God’s approval.

Is Jesus worth it?

If “worth it” means:

• I always understand
• I always see immediate results
• I never experience deep pain

…then no, missions will not feel worth it.

But if “worth it” means:

• Christ is worthy of my obedience, even when I don’t understand,
• His glory among the nations truly is more important than my comfort,
• His presence is real even in the darkest hospital room,

then the answer, whispered through tears, can still be:

“Yes, Jesus is worth it—even here. Even now.”

How do we live this out?

1. We root our hope beyond this life.
   Like the Hogans, we look to resurrection, redemption, and restoration—not just temporary comfort.
2. We stop pretending obedience guarantees a pain-free path.
   Instead, we teach and model a theology of suffering before people ever get on a plane.
3. We allow honest questions.
   God is big enough to handle them. The Psalms are full of “why?” and “how long?”
4. We remember that God can use our pain in ways we can’t see yet.
   Sometimes our most powerful witness is not how we live, but how we grieve.

Loss will visit many of us, whether at home or on the field.
The question “Is Jesus worth it?” is not a sign of failure—it’s an invitation to take hold of Him more deeply than we ever have before.

Reflection Questions

1. How did the stories of Timothy Ripken and Jedidiah Hogan affect you emotionally? What part hit you the hardest?
2. Have you ever quietly wondered, “Is Jesus really worth this?” in a hard season of your life? What triggered that question?
3. What are some unhealthy beliefs about suffering and God’s will that Christians sometimes hold?
4. How does looking to resurrection, redemption, and restoration change the way we process loss?
5. Who do you know right now who is suffering for Christ or in ministry? How could you practically encourage them this week?

A Conversation with Mitch McCormack about Suffering Tragedy on the Field

Click here to watch the full interview.