The Extraordinary Life of an LCMS Missionary

We already know that the life of a Lutheran missionary must be extraordinary, but have you ever imagined what it is like from day to day?

Nearly 9,000 miles from the center of the U.S., in the Southeast Asian country of Cambodia, missionary Rev. J.P. Cima, his wife, Aimee, and their children patiently watch how God works in the lives of the Cambodian people. While miracles unfold right before their eyes, the couple is hard at work.

It’s a calling that blends everyday activities with extraordinary outcomes.

“Some weeks find me in coffee meetings with Cambodian youth,” explained Cima. “Other weeks require administrative meetings [or] prepping for teaching opportunities. My favorite weeks find me out in the villages, digging into Scripture with everyday Cambodian Christians.”

The couple has served on the mission field for 17 years. Cima assists the Cambodia Lutheran Church with discipleship and theological education, while Aimee serves The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod as mercy manager for the Asia region, supporting missionaries across the continent.

Visit the Cima’s LCMS missionary page to sign up for their family’s newsletter and view their family photo blog.

Life on the edges
“We work in strange languages with people utterly different than us on the edges of God’s ever-expanding kingdom, far away from the historic centers of Christendom or the current mission frontiers where huge numbers of believers are bursting forth,” said Cima. “But on these green-growing edges, God patiently works over the years, decades, even centuries. We get to play a small part in His big work.”

The ‘big work’ of missionary work in Southeast Asia presents unique challenges, particularly the pace at which it is accomplished.

“Missionary work in Southeast Asia is slow work,” mentioned Cima. “Christianity is still viewed as foreign. Southeast Asians are still letting go of the baggage of war and colonialism. We think not in years, but in decades, slowly building relationships where that baggage can be set down.”

For the couple, adjusting their expectations for success has been a lesson learned. They know to “celebrate with gusto the return of the one lost sheep even as our hearts break for the hundreds of millions who remain lost.”

Incredible faith
As in many locations around the world that are hostile to Christianity, the faithful people who hear and live the Gospel in these places inspire Christians everywhere. The Cimas have had the joy of seeing first-hand what that’s like.

“During a training seminar many years ago in another Southeast Asian country, the conversation turned to the longstanding tenuous relationship between Christians and the government,” Cima recalled. “All the participants lamented the toll it takes on them, their families and their fellow Christians. I then asked how many of them had ever been in prison for their faith. Half of them raised their hands. And yet, there they were. Still trusting. Still hoping. Still proclaiming. May God grant us all such incredible faith!”

The Lutheran difference
The work is extraordinary for LCMS missionaries because of Lutherans’ extraordinary clarity about the Gospel.

“Lutherans understand deeply and doggedly focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Cima. “There is no greater work, no better job, no more pressing priority than to demonstrate and announce the grace of God to those who desperately need it. My favorite part of being a missionary is seeing God’s grace in action. When I have the privilege to see, or even be a part of, a broken heart mended, a closed heart opened or a hopeless heart given hope because of Jesus, there is no greater joy.”

A great need
Of course, the sheer amount of work in Southeast Asia alone is another challenge the couple must face. It’s why the LCMS continues to urgently seek and form more missionaries and other church workers for Christ’s kingdom.

“The amount of need in Southeast Asia is overwhelming,” noted Cima. “Our best efforts will always fall short of the requests we receive. Saying no is necessary but hard.”

For Cima, getting to know two LCMS missionaries while studying at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis sealed the deal, leading to a joyful life of mission work. He hopes that others will follow a similar path.

“Being a full-time church worker is a blessed vocation because it allows us to focus our time and effort on the most meaningful work there is,” he said. “Why wait? Start being a missionary right now to the people around you! But the truth is, being an overseas missionary is fun. Exotic locations. Weird foods. Hilarious language mistakes. Unintentional cultural faux pas. Crazy traffic. But more than that, as a Lutheran missionary, you get a front-row seat to God’s incredible power on the edges of His kingdom. The people on those edges need Jesus. They need to hear the Gospel. They need you to tell them.”