Coded language. Using continent names instead of countries. Changing your name. Why do some missionaries act like secret agents?

Missionaries or, as we call them, field workers, are not risk averse. They tend to be the ones to dive into the fray, abandon well paying jobs, live life on the edge. So why do missionaries and agencies go to all these measures? It’s for security.

Subverting the plans of the enemy have been part of the believer’s life since the book of Acts. And it always came with risks. But in the modern world, where AI, facial scanning technology, and just the internet in general make it easier for all government agencies to keep tabs on its people and visitors, security has become more complicated.

Turns out, all the sci-fi novels I read when I was a teenager were right. Big Brother is watching. AI bots are poised to take over the world…

Secret Agent Security Training

When we went through our training to work in missions, one of the trainings Mark completed was a security training bootcamp. He drove out to a remote location in the Rocky Mountains, was given a brief presentation on security, and the next day he was kidnapped. Not for real, of course. But a simulated kidnapping. Still wild. The hands on training prepares missionaries, NGO workers, aid relief organizations, and others for going into countries where the authorities or communities might be hostile to foreigners. It was eye opening for us to see just how serious overseas work can be.

In a less extreme training, we learned coded language. Every organization has their own codes. We won’t share all of ours here, but some of the codes we use are:

Missionary → Field Worker

Location where missionary serves → the Field

God → the Father

Jesus → the Son

We use these terms when communicating about and to our Workers on the Field so as not to draw attention from anyone who might be listening (I’m talking about you, killer AI robots!)

But We Have Freedom of Speech, Right?

Yes! We are so thankful for our freedoms in America. But we don’t use all these precautions to protect ourselves. We’re protecting our workers. Our jobs are to communicate regularly with, and visit our workers on the field. We never want anything we say to endanger the lives or the work that they do.

So, in protection of those currently abroad, and the new workers we train and send, we will keep speaking in code, we won’t share our faces online, and we’ll do whatever we can to keep the killer AI bots from taking over the world.

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