I must confess that I hadn’t heard of Joanna Dong until this week. I’m probably one of the few people in Singapore who hadn’t known about the local jazz singer who made it to the finals of the Sing! China competition.

If you’re like me, here’s a quick summary: Sing! China is a Chinese reality-TV talent competition that puts aspiring singers under famous coaches and gives them a chance to make it big. In the first season last year, Singapore singer Nathan Hartono also made it to the finals and ended up No. 2 overall.

I don’t know much about Joanna, but I’m cheering for her already. Just like I cheered for swimmer Joseph Schooling at the Olympics last year. Why? Simply because they’re fellow Singaporeans. You might call it nationalistic fervour, but I can’t help feeling proud that a homegrown talent from a small country can make it onto the world stage. We support Joanna because we share in her success as a Singaporean. She represents our dreams and aspirations as a nation.

It makes me wonder: Do we feel the same way when fellow Christians head out to the mission field? Do we cheer them on as they bring the gospel to unreached peoples? Though we may not all be missionaries, do we share in their efforts, pray for them, and support them in any way we can?

If you think about it, why shouldn’t we? After all, we’re all part of the same family. We all belong to God. We share the same faith in His son Jesus. And we all share a common purpose: to be His witnesses.

In his letter to the Philippian church, Paul expresses great joy to hear Christ being preached among them. He then urges them to stay united, remember their shared blessings of belonging to Christ and having a fellowship together in the Spirit, and continue “agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose” (Philippians 2:1-2).

On Sunday, the finals of Sing! China will be aired, and we’ll find out how Joanna fares. As I cheer her on, I’ll also be rooting for God’s workers in the field, praying for them as they continue sharing the gospel. And I’ll start thinking about how I can support them practically, either financially or in other ways. Will you join me?

Lord, I pray for those You have sent out into the field to bring Your gospel to the unreached. Open my eyes to see how I can support them, and give me a new passion to obey Your call to be Your witness in my life.

In the mission field,
we can be senders and supporters.

Looking for a place to start? Take a look at our prayer needs.