The Missionary Quiz

Before I get to the quiz part of today’s blog just a little update. Michael, our oldest son, was here with us for 10 days and we took him to the airport yesterday so he could fly back home to the States. Well, last night we got a message around 10:00pm that he got bumped from his flight from Rio to Atlanta and there wasn’t even a chance to get another flight until Sunday! So, we had to buy him another ticket and he flew back here this morning and he’ll try to fly home again Sunday (gotta love flying stand-by). Please pray that he makes his flight Sunday because he’s got a lot of stuff going on back home and, as much as we’d love it, he can’t stay here forever. Thanks!
OK, now for today’s blog. Let me ask you a question. What’s the first thing that enters your mind when you hear the term missionary (besides “God, please don’t call me to be a missionary” )? I don’t know about you but I always pictured some clean-cut white guy walking through the African plains holding little African babies, smiling, working in a food distribution line (holding a giant ladle pouring soup into a bowl, of course) or even distributing medicine to the masses of people who were coming to hear about Jesus. And I always pictured all the native people being sooooo happy they (the missionaries) were there. You know... like one of those infomercials you see on Christian television. Everything always seemed so simple and perfect (in my mind, anyway). But that’s far from reality. Over the last few months we’ve come through a lot of junk emotionally, spiritually, physically, you name it we’ve had to go through it. I never would have imagined that the stress of being on the mission field would be this intense.
I heard a story (before we came to Brazil) about one guy who was on the mission field with his family and he committed suicide. When I heard the story I couldn’t comprehend how that could even be possible. It just didn’t seem plausible. I just didn’t understand until I actually became a missionary myself. I’ve felt (firsthand) the pressure of what we’re doing. It adds a tremendous amount of stress to every area of your life and it’s hard to explain unless you experience it yourself. Sure, there are good times but there’s this constant struggle and pressing that you have to do (it’s all spiritual, I know) to make it through each day. And it’s hard. As a missionary I can say with all certainty “this is a tough life.” You feel alone, you don’t have all the resources (that help make ministry easier) that you had back in the States, you’re in a culture that’s different than your own, and the hardest thing is constant pressure of being on the front line as you’re taking the Gospel into places where “the Light” is either non-existent of minimal... and I believe that’s the main reason that it’s difficult. The devil just doesn’t want to relinquish territory that he currently possesses and missionaries are taking it by force. So, props to all the missionaries out there who read this blog. You guys rock! Keep doing what you’re doing because what you’re doing is important and it’s vital.
There’s someone who’s very close to our family that made the comment a couple of years ago that “missionaries are just people who live in tropical locations on other people’s money.” I wish that person could be here with us right now, first of all so that I could smack them for making such a ridiculous statement and secondly so that I could laugh at them... for making such a ridiculous statement. Because if that person could actually see how missionaries live and the pressure they feel, they would definitely have a different perspective of the missionary life. But that’s not the reason for this blog today (to rant about the difficulties of being a missionary), the reason is this...
If you know a missionary who is actively serving on the mission field today, you need to make it a priority to pray for them today. And one more thing... write them a letter, send them an email, a facebook message, Skype them, call them, send a message by carrier pigeon, smoke signal... something to encourage them. Seriously. I guarantee they need it. That’s the reason for today’s blog. Would you do that? And if you don’t know someone who’s currently on the mission field, ask one of the pastors at your church who you (as a church) are supporting and get their contact information so you can send them some encouragement. And if your church isn’t supporting ANY missionaries... find a different church! : ) For real. Because, as Christ Followers, our only mission is to “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Matthew 28:19 and Jesus isn’t coming back “until the Gospel preached to all nations” Matthew 24:14. It's great that churches are ministering to their community but we've also got to get the Gospel to people who haven't heard.

Passionately Following Jesus,
Jim

The pictures at the top are of a town about an hour away, our last Monday Night Outreach Service, MJ and Carolyn, and Me and a couple of the students we minister to here on the mountain.