Dear Missionary

Dear Missionary,

It’s pretty clear you’re doing this all wrong.

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You missionaries living in guarded compounds, you’re obviously not really invested in your community. You alienate your neighbours with barbedwire topped fences.

You missionaries living in houses and apartments in local neighbourhoods, you are risking the safety and well-being of your family. Thank God for those missionaries in that guarded compound nearby that welcome you with open arms and shelter you in times of trouble.

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You who buy imported western food; don’t you know how important food is to a culture and that by avoiding it you are avoiding connecting with your host culture?

You who buy food from the local market and street vendors, don’t complain when you get typhoid or amoebic dysentery. It’s your own fault. You know how unsanitary all that is.

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You who use cars and drive everywhere you go, how will you ever become part of your community if your neighbours only see you coming and going through tinted windows?

You who walk or bicycle everywhere, your community is embarrassed to have the only missionary without a car. If you had a vehicle you could use it to better help the community.

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To the missionary full-on embracing your new culture and abandoning your own, you’re “going tribal” and that’s a pretty foolish thing to do. You’re headed towards a cultural identity crisis.

To the missionary clinging tightly to your home culture, opening up those clenched fists won’t make you un-American or whatever. You’re alienating yourself by not loosening up.

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You who go on furlough every summer are basically telling the people you serve that your vacation is more important than pastoring that young congregation, translating scripture, or helping the suffering community through that health crisis. Your actions don’t match your message.

You who wait years and years before taking a few months away are going to have a nervous breakdown. Missionary burnout is well documented and you jeopardize the long term work.

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To the missionaries who own modern appliances, what a frivolous waste of donations. You should be living at the same standard as the people you serve.

To the missionaries without modern appliances, you are frivolously wasting time doing things the hard way when you could be spending that time ministering instead.

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You who attend language school, you are probably substituting a classroom for relationships within your community.

You who learn language on your neighbourhood streets, your approach takes forever and if you just went to a school it would be a much more efficient use of time. You could get to actually ministry sooner.

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You who attend the expat church on Sundays, think about the message you are sending to the local Christians. It might not be with words, but with your actions you’re saying there’s something wrong with their churches.

You who attend the local church are neglecting worshipping in your own language and culture. You hypocritically insist the local Christians should worship authentically in their own cultural way, but you don’t do it yourself.

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To the missionaries who send their teenagers off to boarding school, you are risking the emotional health of your kids when they are already at their most vulnerable ages.

To the missionaries who home school their teenagers, you alienate them from all their friends who have all gone off to boarding school and you’re risking your child’s academic development.

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You who pastor and translate and evangelize but don’t include seeking justice and meeting physical needs because that’s just not your ministry, aren’t ushering in God’s Kingdom here on earth.

You who spend all your time doctoring and building clinics and teaching new farming methods are forsaking the gospel and might as well just be humanitarian workers. There are more important and eternal things at stake.

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You who hire house helpers, gardeners, and cooks should be ashamed of your colonial attitude.

You who do it all yourself without house helpers, gardeners, and cooks, are pretty selfish and stingy for not providing employment when you clearly have the funds to do so.

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To the missionary already decades in the field, your methods and mind-set are outdated.

To the brand new missionary, you haven’t been here long enough to understand the complex layers of this culture and in your zeal you’re making some really stupid and damaging mistakes.

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Hope this helps and you feel suitably convicted.

Thanks and yours truly,

Judgmental, but totally righteous, Missionary Me

Different Ways To Give To Missions

As I have traveled, I’ve seen various means in which churches give to worldwide missions. You may think that some are better than others, but it is my opinion that any idea is better than no idea when it comes to giving to missions. So here’s a list of different ideas:

  • Budget: Some churches give a percentage out of the general budget (10-20% are the most common numbers I have seen or heard).
  • Faith Promise Missions: Passing out faith promise cards and asking the church to commit to a certain amount per week/month/year for missions. Cards are usually gathered up at the end of the mission’s conference. Some churches have a mid-year conference or missions emphasis Sunday(s) as a reminder of their commitment.
  • Sunday School Classes: A specific Sunday school class supports a missionary. They read the missionary’s updates in class, take up an offering and support one or more missionaries as an individual class.
  • Children’s Offerings: On Sunday mornings the children in the church take up change (or bills) in the service and that offering goes specifically to missionaries or a missionary project. Others will take up offerings in the children’s church and use that offering for missions.
  • Wednesday Night Offerings: Although I have seen this with Sunday nights as well, some churches will use the offering from a specific service to go towards missions.
  • Vacation Bible School Offering: Many churches raise a large sum of money during Vacation Bible School and send it for specific missionary projects.
  • Individuals Within the Church: I have seen some churches that ask individuals or families in the church to sponsor a missionary. The church asks the family or individual to commit for one year.

What is the best way of giving? I personally prefer the faith promise route, but to be quite honest, any way a church or person gives to missions is not a bad way. And I have found out that the people blessed for the offering is the giver more than the one receiving the offering. It’s always good to give to God’s work!

 

Christian Parents Play a key role in enlisting harvesters in the local church

From the book “A People for His Name” by Paul A Beals

Through both attitudes and activities, moms and dads introduce their children to the world of missions as no one else can. Several methods may be used to create missionary interest in the home.

  • Extending hospitality is a successful way to have children and teens give their first serious thought to missionary involvement. Many people on the field today can trace their first interest in missions to a visiting missionary who showed concern for them in their home.
  • Parents can build meaningful prayer interest in missionaries into their family devotional life. Systematic prayer for missionary friends makes a lasting impression on young lives. Prayer can be particularized by using prayer prompters from the church, prayer cards, and current prayer letters received in the home.
  • Visuals make missions come alive for the family. A prayer card bulletin board or album, curios from family missionary friends, maps, and a globe help children identify with missionaries they know. When a nine-year-old asks, “Where does Cindy live?” Dad can heIp find Brazil on the globe. This kind of geography lesson is not soon forgotten.
  • Letters written to missionaries are a source of encouragement difficult to measure. Letters full of family news are like a cooling breeze to a busy missionary. And, of course, missionary response gives reality to names, places, and various facets of the work.
  • A family can take on a special project for a missionary friend. Purchasing a piece of equipment, Christmas, anniversary, or birthday gifts, providing clothing for missionary children—all are concrete reminders that missionaries are people just like we are
  • Some have found family missions interest highIy increased by participating in short-term missionary service. At any given time missionary families in supportive roles can be found in cross-cultural situations around the world.