SERVING AS SENDERS

My friend, Suzanne, stayed in Turkey after her husband, Tilman, was tortured and killed by Muslim extremists. Asking her small children, “Now that Daddy’s dead, shall we go home?” One of the children replied, “Daddy died for this city. Why would we leave?” They remain on the mission field today. We have seen many others cut and run over small issues, conflicts, or discomforts. The reasons are complex but, serving other missionaries overseas and working with Olive Tree Counseling Center (for missionaries), we have seen that effective support from home can make all the difference in the world!

“We are all aware that missions is costly. Sacrifice and suffering are the frequent companions of missionaries. There are high risks and sometimes apparently low gains. World evangelization exacts a price in human resources that can only be balanced by the eternal results that it produces. Sensitive and continuing care are needed to support those called to this divine and demanding task,” says John Powell, consulting editor for Missionary Care.

Whether you are part of a church that supports missionaries, or if you or your family support those in the field, you need to know that this support involves more than just sending a check and saying an occasional prayer. Reaching the nations is a team effort. We are ALL called to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20).

We served in a closed Muslim nation that did not allow missionaries or even church buildings. We saw one lovely family come to serve who had no idea of the culture or the religious atmosphere. When they went to get resident permits and asked why they were there, Pastor Bart* said, “We’re here to see people saved and build a church.” [*Name changed for security reasons]

Many church bodies want to make sure that the people they are sending have good Biblical training (which is needed) but fail to make sure they have attended missionary training or learned the culture of where they are going. Somehow this family was allowed to stay, but they never adapted to the culture or even the modest dress of the locals and, sadly, did not last long nor have much impact on those they came to serve.

Another church allowed a family with two young children and a very pregnant wife to come. She sat in my home and wept as she realized what they had done. Some counsel, to wait a year, would have been a great benefit to this family and to those they worked with and served. * Names changed for security reasons.

Take the time to personally learn about where your missionaries are going and what it is like. A church having a missionary in Mexico may hear of weekly salvations and baptisms, and then send workers to a closed Muslim nation and wonder why they are not hearing the same results, calling that missionary home before they can have any effect. You need to give your missionary time to settle in a home, learn the language and culture, make friends, and reach out. Many places are tough, and it can take years to make one convert – but trust God to multiply that into His church!

When sending, carefully and prayerfully consider how you can support the missionary before making promises. If you are making a financial commitment, make sure you can fulfill it and are not just making a passionate response. We left for the mission field thinking we had full support but ended up with only $800 a month when the checks came through. We thank God that the He provided, but it would have been much better to have full support ‒ not only to live, but to be able to do ministry. Let the missionaries know any other ways you can help and honor that commitment. Pray!

Lifting up the needs of missionaries and those they serve can perhaps be the most effective thing you can do. Our team leaders, in the Muslim nation where we served, have been there almost 40 years and have seen some tremendously difficult challenges. When I asked the wife what made the difference she said, “The prayers of our home church.” She explained that ever since they entered training and were sent out, their church has gathered every Tuesday for prayer. She said, “Sometimes there are a number of people and other weeks only one or two, but they have never stopped praying!” For those praying, it keeps the needs of the missionary ever before them and they are more likely to respond to other needs as well.

God can also use prayer to do miraculous things! I must share this story! We were going through a time of intense persecution and the life of the local pastor had been threatened. We had a short-term mission team that had been invited to do a drama at the Christmas service being held at a local hotel. A couple on the team had a little girl named Gracie. Across the ocean in Trinidad was another portion of the team with a little boy. The boy woke up, crying, “They’re going to kill Gracie! The man has a gun! He’s going to kill Gracie!!” The team leader had the wisdom to wake everyone up and pray through the night. We learned of this prayer later from this team leader. Looking back, we realized it was the night of the Christmas program. The police had made a moving traffic stop, almost unknown in that nation. The man had a gun on the seat and was asked, “What are you going to do with that?” “I’m going to kill Pastor Mustafa*,” said the man, thinking the Muslim police officer would help. Instead, he apprehended the man. Listen to God – when he prompts you to pray for a missionary or those they serve. Obey! It could save a life or lead to a salvation!

Those going into the mission field are leaving their family and going to an unknown land where everything is different and often difficult. It’s a stressful time. Be there with a listening ear, encouragement, and prayer. Communication is so much easier than in the early days of missions. It’s possible to text, message or call and doesn’t take a lot of time but can make a huge difference.

When your missionary returns home, give them time to share and process what they have gone through. I heard of one young lady who tried to commit suicide after she had worked in a medical clinic during a genocide. She’d seen children die, had a man’s body dumped outside her hut, and was almost captured herself. The church did not have time for her to share and her pastor said, “I’m busy, maybe you need to get into the Word more.” Needless to say, she was devastated. She just needed someone to hear her.

We were blessed to have a dear friend at a YWAM base who always took time for us – even after we left YWAM and then he did too. He was always there, encouraging, asking the tough questions, loving us, and praying with us. It helped to sustain us in tough times.

Logistics support consists of handing the nuts and bolts of your missionary’s continuing home country responsibilities and getting needed supplies to them. This can deal with anything from helping with taxes, checking in with an elderly parent, digging a birth certificate out from a tub in the church basement and sending out newsletters to mailing Bibles, Sunday school materials, or even Wisconsin cheddar cheese! Your missionary may be living in a grass hut in Papua New Guinea but they still need to send in the taxes, get news out to their supporters, have access to prescriptions, and have things brought or sent to them. God never meant for those sent in His name to be lone wolves.

Thank God, gone (mostly) are the days of the ‘missionary barrel’ but your missionary still needs support. Our needs included resident permits, rent and utilities, basic needs such as food and toiletries, transportation costs, travel expenses, and a myriad of ministry expenses. We were not permitted to work, nor did we want to. We were there to share the Gospel, serve the local church, meet local needs, and help new missionaries get started in their time of service as well as be there for them as needs arose.

In our 10th year of service, war broke out in a neighboring country, and we had countless refugees who had run with just the clothes on their backs. They were camped in fields outside of town with nothing, not permitted to work, and getting no help from the government. We took out basic food supplies and other necessities but, of course, this cost money. Thanks to generous givers, people did not starve, and we were able to bring the Gospel along with meeting their physical needs.

This is so vital! We are created as social beings and we need each other. During our time of service, we had one dear elderly lady from a supporting church who we barely knew. Yet she blessed us with a monthly chatty email. It was such a blessing and always seemed to come when we needed it most. If busy, I could not reply, and it was fine. If I was going through a hard time, I could pour out my heart and she would hear me. We had people who came to visit, to hold our arms up, as Aaron held up the arms of Moses in the wilderness.

In turn, we were able to go visit a lone female missionary in a remote region. She was 69 and had been raped but was determined to stay and serve until the Lord told her that her time there was over. She said weekly phone calls from a mutual friend, the support and visits from her daughter, the support of her home church, and our visits made all the difference in the world for her.

In turn, if you have questions, ask the missionary. We came home to America for our youngest son’s wedding. Within a year my mother was dying and needed me for a month. After her death I, as an only child, had to settle her affairs – which took two months. A supporting church contacted our mission’s director and said, “If they aren’t going to stay on the mission field, we are not going to support them!” Thank God he called, as our director was able to explain the situation. We lost other supporters without ever knowing why and it broke our hearts! Take time to communicate!

“It is hard to imagine the importance of communication from home until you have ‘been there.” When a person or family arrives on the field to establish their new routine, real loneliness can set in – a feeling of isolation, of being out of touch with – everything! A new missionary can feel, “They have forgotten me,” which is interpreted as, “They don’t care!”, says Neal Pirolo. If you are a supporting church, appoint someone to communicate. If you are a supporting family, take time to send a card or a message. Show your missionary that you do care.

“My father was a career missionary and my siblings and I were born on the mission field. Through the years they had weathered any number of storms that assail missionaries. Each brought them to a more determined level of commitment to our Lord…. tensions were frequent and there was an extreme lack of funds. Dad and Mom faced my dad’s arrest and possible death during a military coup. Yet the hardest time came when we returned home and were ignored.”

— Excerpts from a missionary child

Re-entry is often the hardest part of the overseas experience and should not be ignored. We came back to a country different from the one we left. We were out of touch with almost everything and experiencing deep culture shock – in our own country. We needed time to readapt and to process, yet were thrust into life in America. We were shocked to find out that, due to our time overseas, we had almost no social security, and most of our supporters dropped us as soon as we reached America’s shores. In addition, my husband needed a kidney transplant.

When your missionary returns home, continue your support for six months to a year so they can get their feet under them. Provide a time for them to debrief – with a local Christian counselor, a missionary debriefing retreat, or a time with the pastor. Be there – care, listen, and pray.

In our years of service, we have seen every type of crisis: missionaries tortured and killed, deadly accidents, one missionary kidnapped and held for six years, his family not knowing if he was dead or alive; affairs and divorces, problems with children, people suffering from dengue fever, being raped, a spouse leaving the faith, a missionary being falsely imprisoned, missionaries denied re-entry into a country, leaving their families to sell everything, leave the ministry, and follow…. Be prepared, especially if you are the sending church! There is nothing worse than going through the unimaginable than going through it alone and feeling abandoned by those who sent you to serve. Even if sin is at the root of the problem, those left behind need love, care, and help as they return and put their lives back together. Be prayerful – don’t just assume that because there was a problem, the missionary needs to return home. They may need love and counseling where they serve.

The above seems like a lot, but God has gifted each with different spiritual gifts. One person is not meant to do it all. You are part of a team! We had a team of supporters from 12-15 churches, two businesses, and a number of individuals and families. Many could serve the Lord, and us, in some way. What can you do?

With the sacrifices and service come rewards. We saw miraculous salvations, people helped and lives changed, and we do not take credit for any of it. We were able to accomplish what we did because of God, our team on the field, and our team back home. One day you, an at-home member of a missions team, will be told by God, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21)

Suggested reading for supporters: Serving as Senders by Neal Pirolo, Missionary Care by Kelly O’Donnell, Overcoming Missionary Stress by Marjory F. Foyle, and Friend Raising: Building a Missionary Support Team that Lasts by Betty Barnett. My friend Suzanne’s story is told in the book, Married to a Martyr.

In addition, there is help for missionaries and those serving them on the blog found on the Olive Tree Counseling Center website.