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Rod Black’s Journey

Have you ever thought about the impact of missions in a person’s life? The impact of being exposed to a different culture, encountering people with a distinctly different perspective on the world?

When we think about missions, we often picture someone traveling overseas, leaving behind the life they know to share the Gospel with people who may or may not have heard the Word of God, and inviting them to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. This is a very general concept, but there’s so much more to missions, and the impact is not only for those receiving the message but also for those being sent out. God uses this time to transform the missionary’s heart and character by exposing them to life through new lenses: a different culture. Whether it’s a new language, the food, or the way of living, there will be an encounter with unfamiliar aspects of life, and that is something that Fellowship International missionary Rod Black has been able to experience.

When Rod and his wife Donna set foot in Pakistan in 1983, they knew there was going to be an initial shock. It was the end of September, and the temperature was expected to be high. Little did they know that 30°C at 4:00am was only the start of what would become a very hot day for them, but merely a regular day in Pakistani life. Even though this was a big cultural encounter, weather was only a small part of it.

“The biggest shock that we dealt with repeatedly—and I think this is what most missionaries battle with—was not the sights and sounds, or even getting used to the language; it was getting used to the fact that people have a different way of thinking and struggle. Their attitude towards time, relationships, sharing of things, or a commitment is different.”

There can be a struggle to think like others when you have one cultural way of seeing the world, but there’s also beauty in learning about these different perspectives, as they reveal the richness of God’s creation. Rod and Donna enjoyed the food and still do; it has become part of their family’s life. Hospitality was also something that would become influential in the way they interacted with others: “The hospitality part—we loved the idea that you could just drop in on people. They also felt that they could drop in on you, at all kinds of hours. So, it was harder coming back to Canada, where you have to make appointments, sometimes weeks in advance, to see people. Here, it’s a different form of hospitality.”

In Pakistan, Rod worked with a Bible correspondence school in literature distribution, and he began working in outreach through ethnodoxology, using local means of music and arts to express the Gospel. His and Donna’s ministry focused on evangelism among Muslims and Sindhi people. They were just at the start of a wave of missionaries serving in a Muslim country, with a team that would grow to 35 adults in the field. In 1999, their family returned to Canada for their children’s educational needs. Then, in 2005, they returned to Pakistan with their two youngest children, serving for six more years before leaving the field.

Rod hit a wall during his last time in Pakistan because he thought the Lord would make it clear that they should leave by the work stopping. But the work wasn’t done. Instead, God showed them that their time serving abroad had come to an end. Coming back was also a challenge for Rod, one that God used to build and shape his character in remembering where his identity truly lies.

Now back in Canada, Rod sees how his time in Pakistan impacted the way he approaches his work, church life, and his daily interactions. Meeting newcomers, inviting them over for a meal, and simply spending time with them is something Rod and Donna have learned from the different hospitality approach they experienced abroad.

“I guess I would say we’ve been able to implement it easily, and we’re seeing new ways of being able to do it. If a couple comes over from Nigeria or Congo, they’re it. There’s no extended family—no uncles, aunts, or grandparents to help raise the kids. So, we’re trying to urge the church to become that family.”

This cross-cultural awareness has shaped the way his family approaches and ministers to others in this stage of life.

Now, Rod works with Fellowship International in various roles, most recently as a coach for missions personnel, assisting with the Indonesia team, and acting as liaison for the Pakistan team. He encourages us to pray for him in this season of his life, reminding us that busyness is not a fruit of the Spirit. “God is not interested so much in how busy we are but in what’s happening with our own soul or with the relationship or conversation that we’re in.”

Let’s join in prayer for Rod, that he may learn to navigate free time and discern how God intends to use it in his life.