Far in the north of Europe, in the country of Finland, lies a small village called Näätämo. Its size is negligible, only one minor road running through it on its way to Norway, which lies several miles to the northeast of the village. It is difficult to find any information about Näätämo due to its small size. However, what I have discovered after painstakingly navigating the Finnish language website of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (I know, too much time on my hands) is that there does not seem to be a church there. The closest church is in the village of Inari, a distance of 144km (89 mi.) from Näätämo. Perhaps the church in the border town of Utsjoki would be closer, but as there are no direct roads from Näätämo to Utsjoki; a 180km (112 mi.) drive through Norway is required. That is one long haul.

One of the members of our teaching team for adult Sunday School at church just wrapped up a great series on the mission of the church. One of the questions raised was where we should focus our mission. Recent missiological thought has helped the church get out of the mindset that mission is "over there," something in which we send people and money to different parts of the world to reach the unreached. Now we realize that the heart of our own culture in the West is devoid of the Gospel, as we see missionaries from other parts of the world coming here, and so we are refocusing our efforts to our own doorstep.

This, of course, is good. But God's children make up a diverse family with hearts for different peoples and places. Much of the focus today is on our cities, but that is not to discredit those who still feel a burden on their hearts for other places around the globe. We still need those people. The gospel still needs to be heard in a myriad of places. I use Näätämo only as an example of the many cities, towns, and villages that do not have churches or where the gospel is not present. For some time a desire to see the gospel take a firm rooting in Europe, and the Scandinavian countries in particular, has been on my heart.

All this is to say, if you feel a burden to go somewhere, then go! Missiological trends and perceived needs should not completely dictate where we carry out the work of Christ's kingdom. No doubt they are very helpful, and must be given due attention. But follow your heart. God uses each of us in different ways in different places, and he leads us by his Spirit to fulfill his purposes. Is your desire to bring the gospel to Näätämo? Then go. They need it just as much as the people in your city.