WHAT MAKES A MISSIONARY?

Being a missionary does not necessarily mean leaving your life behind and moving to the bush and eating spear kabobs over an open fire. There are many types of needs and purposes, and I have been able to see the missionary life with a new perspective. I have seen how they help each other through difficult times, seen them struggle with mounds of paperwork, enjoy fellowship times with each other, prayer support, and swapping horror stories about struggles in different countries. These struggles can be being fed a type of bologna or hot dogs, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with marginal refrigeration and limited comforts of home; to physical persecution in other countries. My perspective has definitely changed.

…..I’ve seen full-timers, part-timers, and lifers with a bunch of one-timers thrown in to balance things out.

Now I know a missionary can be:

· Helping someone move who lives in a 3 story home.

· Taking a 4 month leave of absence from your job to be a “bookie” for a Mission Group, that is, financial bookkeeping.

· Being on a “Spiritual Walking” team in London, or Croatia, or Italy. That is taking a team into an area and just talking with the local people to find out how they think, feel about current events, religion, and what they need in their community. Kind of like taking the temperature of an area, a precursor to church planting.

· Praying with team members.

· Being part of reconstruction of war torn countries, like Georgia

· Developing computer courses for on-line training.

· Data Entry for time-stressed missionaries. Yes, they have LOTS of paperwork, reports, accounting, etc.

· Painting, building, plumbing, electrical for two weeks of your life.

· Providing a Care Box to send to your missionary of choice, with boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese, chocolate chips, marshmallows, real brown sugar, “Slim-fast” bars (the real thing), peanut butter, pudding mixes, cake and brownie mixes, OREO COOKIES, office supplies (they have to provide their own), instant oatmeal. These are just a few of the things that are not found here. When people go on mission trips, they should find out what kinds of things are hard to find in that area, and take along some supplies in your suitcase. They appreciate a Taste of Home.

All of us need to find a way to make a difference somewhere in our world. It can be at home or abroad, but we need to find a way to help someone, somewhere. What makes a missionary? YOU.