By MaryAnn Peteya
What is a missionary? The dictionary describes one who is sent on a mission. Thus, every believer is a missionary, fulfilling the mission of the church — the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28:19 — go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
A missionary is not just someone who goes overseas to preach the gospel. What about the millions of people who have immigrated to the U.S.? Who will reach them with the Gospel?
Jay Bell, director of Internationals USA, has an answer. He suggests that a way to reach the internationals within U.S. communities big and small is through ethnic restaurants. By enjoying dinner in an authentic Mexican, Thai, Greek, or other eating place, the setting becomes the person’s “international, cross-cultural, personal, family mission field,” Bell says.