“You can’t take our grandkids there. It’s not safe.”
In the world of Christian missions, often one of the hardest things to do is taking kids to the mission field. There is often a lot of judgment put on the families that do this. Claiming that they’re putting children in unnecessary danger, that they won’t be able to get a proper education, etc.
There is no doubt that statistically, some parts of the world are more dangerous to live, especially for various religions. If you are a Christian in Morocco, you are going to be in a very dangerous environment. There are some cities in America that have a higher crime or murder rate. Statistically, you are more likely to be the victim of a crime in these places.
However, the more I thought about it, as a Christian, there isn’t a greater risk going anywhere else. If God wants you to go to one of the most dangerous places in the world, he can easily protect you if he wants. He could take you into literally a war zone between armies shooting at each other and keep you completely safe and unharmed.
Being safe has so much more to do with being where God wants you to be. In some ways, if you feel like God is calling you to somewhere “unsafe,” you might be less safe trying to not follow that direction (see: Jonah).
If you are fully committed to what God wants you to do, there is so little worry about what’s “safe.” Are you less likely to die if you are following everything God wants you to do? No, not at all. But if you’re doing what God wants you to be doing then you can rest in every situation knowing that whatever happens for a reason – even if you ended up dying.