On Mission: part two

I've wrestled to figure out what it means to be on mission at this time in this place, but now I'm gaining some clarity.

This from a blog post written by a missionary doctor working with Muslims in Asia. Here he asks what is the key to mission work?

There is no golden key. It's mostly just hard work—the stuff expected of everyday Christians.

• Consistently show up at work on time and do a good job.
• Express appropriate grief and mourning when there is a death in the neighborhood.
• Build a reputation (and it can take years) of being a godly man, a holy man, with a god-fearing wife.
• Drink a lot of tea (or coffee, etc.) with your friends. Many cups a day, day in and day out, for years.
• Be known as a "Bible man." Memorize Scripture and quote it regularly to your non believing friends. Try to bring up Jesus or the Bible within two minutes in every conversation (time yourself if you must).
• Bathe everything you do and say in prayer.

As a hero of mine has said, "Nothing works, therefore try everything." There is no "golden key" other than the Holy Spirit and hard work.