Torch, Fall 1985

4 Tentmaking An International Opportunity by Dr. Paul A. Beals T he story is told of two elderly American ladies who were traveling by train in western Canada. The train stopped for 15 minutes at a large station and the ladies stepped out onto the platform to stretch a bit. "What place is this?" one of them asked a man who was lounging against a baggage truck. "Saskatoon, Saskatchewan ," he replied . As the ladies turned away, one whispered to the other, "Isn't it exciting? They don ' t speak English here ." This· story brings a smile . And perhaps you too think that English is spoken primarily in the United States. As a matter of fact , 450 million people in the world use English . It is the most preferred second language and is heard in nearly every country . This is all to say that the prevalence of the English language worldwide presents Americans with opportunity to share the gospel with people almost anywhere . But, you say, "I've not been called to be a professional missionary ." This may be true. Only a few are. However, whether you now work as a teacher, doctor, factory worker, or secretary , you can be involved in an exciting evangelistic outreach abroad that utilizes your work skills and places you in a mission field of English speaking people . This kind of outreach is called tentmaking and involves dedicated Christian lay people who live and work abroad under non-religious auspices and who use their secular calling as an opportunity to give personal witness for Christ and to assist professional missionaries . American State Department statistics indicate that approximately two percent of the American population resides out of this country . That is about four million