Missions Exist Because Worship Doesn't
While soliciting support for the work in Mauritius we had the experience of someone committing financial support only to withdraw that pledge a day later on the basis that we were going to the “relatively [sic] first world comfort” of Mauritius instead of the “bush in Madagascar” as they initially believed.
While this was quite discouraging, it betrays a misconception about Mauritius and, more importantly, about Missions.
Mauritius
Mauritius is the not the biggest African economy, but it is the wealthiest country in Africa on a per capita basis.
While Mauritius “has made great strides since independence in 1689 and is now classified as an upper-middle-income economy”, according to the World Bank, and has reportedly eradicated extreme poverty with only 1 in 10 Mauritians below the upper middle-income class poverty line, poverty has not been completely eradicated. South Africa reported 2 in 10 South Africans living below the poverty line. Mauritius is significantly better than all African Countries on poverty, inequality, unemployment, and economic growth metrics, but I would hesitate to make any developed country assertions about the Island State. The white sandy beaches, turquoise water, and picturesque landscapes popularised in the media poorly depict the daily experience of Mauritians.
Missions
In his book, Let the Nations be Glad, John Piper asserts that “Missions exists because worship doesn’t”. To his mind the only metric that should fuel missions is whether Christ is worshiped as Lord and Saviour. The work of Missions is to seek to make Christ known where he is not yet named (Rom 15:20). In fact, none of the biblical mandate to preach Christ crucified (1Cor 1:23) and make disciples of all nations (Mat 28:19-20) suggest any preference for socio-economic, cultural, political or other factors. The Holy Spirit would empower us to bear witness of Christ from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) regardless of socio-economic standing.
It may surprise you to learn that since 2018 there are more Christians on the African continent than on any other continent in the World and that the antiquated notions of missionary enterprise consisting of forsaking one’s first world comfort to serve among the “uncivilized savages” of Africa are being replaced with Africans needing to leave their “third world” homes and become Gospel Migrants to the “first world”. Going where worship does not exist may even result in an upgrade in economic standing.
Mandate
The primary motivation for the work in Mauritius, then, is obedience to the call of proclaiming the Gospel to the 48% Hindu and 17% Muslim et.al. population. The question of comfort had not occurred to us. It is not a metric included in the mandate to “make disciples of all nations”.