31 Days of Missionary Stories: Supporters Back Home

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Barbara Harper

I can’t conclude this series without mentioning the support system a missionary needs back home.

If you ask almost any missionary what he or she mostly needs from the churches and individuals who support them, the first response would be “Prayer.” David Hosaflook, missionary to Albania, writes in Gospel Meditations For Missions, “The ‘Gospel-destitute areas’ see us as criminal combatants, not friends (Colossians 4:2-4). We’re up against reigning principalities, religious powers, radical politicians, and recurring persecution. We get attacked from the front, from the rear, from the sides, and, yes, even from within (2 Corinthians 7:5).” He continues, “Sure, pray for our safety (Romans 15:30-31, 2 Thessalonians 3:2), but please don’t exert all your time there. Jesus made it clear that mission work is exceedingly unsafe, so we’re already past that hump. We’d love to avoid pain, but not at the expense of boldness; Christ must be lifted up at any cost (Philippians 1:20-21). So pore over our prayer letters (and reply once in a while). And when you pray, pray the prayer that Paul requested: that the word of the Lord would spread quickly and be glorified (2 Thessalonians 3:1). That’s the crux of the matter. That’s the reason we came.”

When you read missionary biographies, you come across numerous instances of a definite answer to prayer at a certain time that someone was praying. Here are just a few examples:

In Goforth of China, Rosalind Goforth tells how her husband Jonathan had a terrific struggle with the language, though he put in many hours studying. When he preached, the Chinese would point to his colleague, Mr. Donald McGillivray, and ask him to preach because they couldn’t understand Goforth. Things came to a crisis one day. Jonathan told his wife, “If the Lord does not work a miracle for me with this language, I fear I may be an utter failure as a missionary!” Rosalind writes that he looked heartbroken, then picked up his Bible and started off to the chapel.

Two hours later he returned, saying, “Oh, Rose! It was just wonderful! When I began to speak, those phrases and idioms that would always elude me came readily. The men actually asked me to go on though Donald had risen to speak. I know the backbone of the language is broken! Praise the Lord!”

Rosalind goes on to write, “About two months later, a letter came from Mr. Talling (his former roommate, still in Knox College), saying that on a certain evening after supper, a number of students decided to meet in one of the classrooms for prayer, ‘just for Goforth.’ The letter stated that the presence and power of God was so clearly felt by all at that meeting, they were convinced Goforth must surely have been helped in some way. On looking in his diary, Mr. Goforth found the students’ prayer meeting coincided with the experience recorded above.”

Another time when Mr. Goforth was on furlough in London, “he was taken to see an invalid lady. She told Mr. Goforth that when she heard of his proposed meetings in Manchuria, she felt a great burden laid upon her to pray for him. She then asked him to look at her notebook, in which was recorded three dates when a special sense of power in prayer had come upon her for him. A feeling akin to awe came upon Goforth as he recalled those dates as being the very days when he had witnessed the mightiest movements in Manchuria.”

Isobel Kuhn wrote once of a difficult situation in one of their churches in China that could have caused great division, but worked out better that expected. Some months later they learned that someone was specifically burdened to pray for them at that time.

Sometimes it is daunting to begin to pray for a whole list of the missionaries your church supports without using generalities, and there are certainly things you can pray for them as a group (like Colossians 1:9-14 or Philippians 1:9-11). But you could also pray more particularly for one missionary a day (one friend’s family used to keep a stack of missionary prayer cards and rotate them them as they prayed for one missionary a day during family devotions) or choose just one or two that you want to keep up with and pray for and write to. Some churches have an “adopt a missionary” program for that purpose. My own tendency is to stop and pray for someone right when I receive their prayer letter or an e-mail request so I don’t forget later on.

Besides prayer, there are a number of thing one can do to help and be a blessing to missionaries. Some years ago I attended a Bible conference in which a man named Ronald Van Hee preached a message called “The Doctrine of Escorting” from III John 5-8: “Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; Which have borne witness of they charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well: Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellow-helpers to the truth.” He said the words “bring forward” in Greek mean: “to escort, to conduct, to send forth, to accompany, to bring on one’s journey, to aid in travel, fitting him out with requisites” and can be found in other passages (Genesis 18:16; Acts 15:3, 21:5-6; I Corinthians 16:5-6; II Corinthians 1:16; Romans 15:24; and Titus 3:13) using the phrase “being brought on their way.” It has the idea of providing what they need to enable them in their travels. It might include having them in your home while they are on furlough or deputation, providing a meal, loaning a car, giving gift bags of travel-friendly toys to the children or gift cards to the family to a restaurant or store, etc. I knew of one church that paid for an eye exam and new glasses for a missionary who particularly needed it, and of mechanics in the church doing some needed repairs to a missionary’s car. Some churches have a missions closet ministry for their missionaries to stop in when they visit: I wrote the details of a one of our former church’s missions closet ministries here. They are kind of falling out of fashion now, giving way to a W-Mart gift card, which may be just as well. But they can be fun. It was such a blessing to see a missionary pick up something I had bought at random for the closet and hear them say, “We were just needing this!” What a blessing it is to know that however we can help a missionary along the way, “we might be fellow-helpers to the truth.”

This kind of ministry, as well as any other, needs to be conducted sensitively and prayerfully. You might wonder, for instance, if the missionaries you invited to stay with you would rather stay home and rest or go out and sight-see. It just depends – on their personalities, on what else they’ve had going on, etc. If in doubt, just ask, or present options: “Would you all like to rest this afternoon, or would you enjoy doing….?” Some friends who are Indian missionaries to India said that when they are in the States, many people like to take them to Indian restaurants, when they’d really love to eat American food while here. In Rosalind Goforth’s book Climbing, she tells of many well-meaning people trying to help them while on furlough who put her in awkward positions (she wasn’t trying to complain: she was asked to relate these stories, and they are really eye-opening). In that day missionaries were much longer than four years between visits back home, and there was no Internet to keep up with what was going on in the rest of the world and no Western stores to buy clothes in before they came home, so the styles might have changed drastically since they last came. One lady offered to outfit Rosalind for their time on furlough, and everything she bought was what she apparently thought was a very proper black. Someone told Rosalind she looked like she was in mourning, but she didn’t want to hurt the woman’s feelings. Another lady bought her a hat that caused another friend to exclaim, “Rosalind! Why are you wearing that thing!” The situation is a little different these days, but we need to be gracious in what a missionary has on and wise and sensitive in what we offer them. We also need to be careful that we don’t embarrass them: one friend told me a ladies’ group “honored” her by having her stand holding an offering plate while they filed by and put offerings in. While she appreciated the thought and the willingness, that was such an awkward way to conduct a love offering.

The high cost of postage has made it difficult to send things to missionaries on the field. Churches we have been in have had various methods of sending things to their missionaries: one focused on a couple of missionaries a month, another sent Christmas packages, both after asking ahead of time what they might need, what things they can’t get on their field, etc. (I remember at the time they couldn’t get chocolate chips or construction paper in South Africa, so we always sent those items to those ministering there. I don’t know if they can get them now.) But when the Post Office did away with the lower mailing rate that went by ship and went to air mail only overseas, sending a simple box of kitchen items began to cost much more than the contents were worth, so we had to resort to sending money instead. But there still might be little things that could be sent that aren’t so expensive. Always check with your missionary or their mission board and the Post Office before sending any kind of package: some have to pay customs rates on their end, making any kind of package expensive to receive, and every country prohibits certain items being sent in the mail.

Another big encouragement to missionaries is just to read their prayer letters and be aware of what is going on with them, not only so you know how to pray, but also when you talk to them or write to them, you can ask intelligent questions that let them know you’re truly interested and aware of their work. Many missionaries have web sites or Facebook pages or send their prayer letters out by e-mail, making it easier than ever both to keep up with them and to jot them a note.

Of course, missionaries need financial support as well, both for everyday living and for special projects and needs, and as I mentioned yesterday, sometimes a short-term mission trip can be a help and encouragement. Such a trip needs a lot of information-gathering and prayer beforehand to make sure that the time you are coming and what you want to do is actually a help and not a problem for the missionary. While they love to receive visitors, they have busy times as well: you wouldn’t want to arrive to work on a building project right in the midst of their VBS or camp week, for example.

I hope this gives you some ideas and encouragement about how to pray for and bless your missionaries.

I’ve had the second stanza of this poem in my files for ages and have used it many times, but I just discovered yesterday that it is part of a larger poem. It’s a little old-fashioned, but it does convey how much our prayers support those in the ministry.

A Missionary Appeal

Oh, dark is the land where the Evil One reigns,
And strong is his citadel there!
Oh, deep are his dungeons, and heavy the chains
That his long enthralled prisoners wear!
What can brace up the arm and confirm the weak knee,
The Strong One to meet and o’ercome
Like the message of cheer wafted over the sea:
“There’s somebody praying at home!”

There are times when the enemy seems to prevail,
And faintness creeps over the heart:
When courage and confidence quiver and quail
At the glance of his fiery dart.
There are times when, exhausted, we can but stand still,
When the sword-arm hangs nerveless and numb,
Ah, then to the soul comes a whisper so chill;
“Are they weary of praying back home?”

Oh, brothers, ye toil in the twilight, perchance:
Remember, we wrestle in night:
Cry unto the Lord, would ye have us advance
And claim for us heavenly might.
Then, back to the arm will its vigor be given,
And lips, that in anguish were dumb,
Shall shout, as the foe from his stronghold is driven:
“‘Tis because they are praying at home!”

Then away to the mountain top! Lift up your hands!
Let the strong breath of prayer never cease!
Only thus, as ye follow our Captain’s commands,
His kingdom shall grow and increase.
If ye, while we fight, “strive together by prayer,”
The hour of vict’ry will come,
When we in the vanguard our gladness will share
With those who are praying back home

~ Author Unknown

(You can see a list of other posts in the 31 Days of Missionary Stories here. Since I didn’t start this series until Oct. 2, I have one more post tomorrow to wrap up.)

31 Days of Missionary Stories: Answer to a Mother’s Prayer

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Barbara Harper

I wanted to start off the 31 Days of Missionary Stories with God’s answer to an everyday, normal need. There are some dramatic missionary stories, but missionaries don’t spend all their time on the front lines fighting spiritual battles or out on the streets witnessing to everyone they meet. They have to deal with the same mundane affairs of life that we all do, and often those mundane affairs are more complicated than they are in America. That was especially true in previous centuries.

Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth were missionaries to China in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Mrs. Goforth has written Goforth of China, a biography of her husband; How I Know God Answers Prayer (I was delighted to find what appears to be all or most of the text of this book here, and it is free for the Kindle for a time here.); and Climbing, which includes many anecdotes she was requested to share as well as some of her own personal struggles. The following comes from Climbing.

The Goforths had just narrowly and traumatically escaped from the Boxer Rebellion in China to Shanghai. Until a ship left that they could find passage on, they had to stay in an empty house with little furniture. In the ten days they were there, her husband and son Paul bought some ready-made clothes, and she was able to have one dress made.

But the other three children! They were in rags given by the Chinese on the journey. How could I, without materials, without a machine, get an outfit made for even one, and the ocean voyage just ahead! Alone with the baby one morning I cast myself down by the little one and cried again and again to the Lord to send someone to help me. My distress was great. Help I must have, but I knew no one to whom I could turn. Then suddenly, while I was praying, the doorbell rang. On opening the door I found two women outside. They introduced themselves and told of having seen our names among those of the refugees. They were in charge of a Chinese girls’ school, but on account of the Boxer troubles, all the girls had been sent home. They then said, “We have nothing to do and thought you may need help.” Scarcely able to speak, I told them rapidly my story; how I was on my knees pleading for help when they rang the bell. A few moments followed in which we stood clasping hands, weeping, just too full for speech. Then they went away to get materials, for there was no time to lose.

In a very short time, they returned with a pile of materials of from three- to five- yard lengths. I cut out and gave directions for a number of garments. The women took all away and, with the help of some friends, made practically everything needed except for the baby, who, in the rush of getting others provided for, was forgotten! The day we sailed, I gathered a quantity of material together, planning to make the most necessary things for him on board ship. Then came the most beautiful proof of God’s overshadowing care.

We had been passing through the Inland Sea and were nearing Yokohama. I had been trying my utmost to get some necessary things ready for baby W., but my hands trembled so I could scarcely hold the needle. I struggled on, realizing my strength was going, but kept sewing til I could no longer see the needle. Rising, I folded the work, and, going down to the cabin, put it quietly, numbly into the trunk, saying, “Lord, I have done all I can. I can do no more. As you provided for the others, do so now for baby.” I then went on deck and lay down on a long chair exhausted. How long I lay there I do not know, but suddenly someone touched me and said, “There’s a large bundle come off the lighter for you: it is in your cabin.” Dazed at first, I could not take it in. Then it flashed into my mind, “It’s the answer.”

In the cabin, I found a letter attached to the bundle from Mrs. O. E., of the China Inland Mission, whose husband was at that time risking his life in China, seeking to bring out to safety women of the mission who were in peril. The letter stated that her little son, the same age as my baby, had died some months before and she felt it laid upon her to send me, for my child, his outfit. I opened the bundle to find not only a most beautiful, complete outfit for my little one, but also many things I needed for myself and the other children. It was indeed one of the Lord’s exceedingly abundant answers. Is it any wonder that those words written so long ago by the psalmist have always had a deep thrill of response in my heart?

I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. – Psalm 116:1-2.

God cares about the souls of people and the affairs of nations. But He also cares about the needs of mother’s hearts and children’s bodies.

Myths and Maxims of Ministry

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Barbara Harper

Recently a friend told me that she was somewhat overwhelmed with the details of a particular ministry she had started and had trouble finding joy in it until she reminded herself of the reason she began it in the first place. That got me to thinking about some of the misconceptions I had about ministry over the years, and I thought I’d share some of those here. I’m not talking about “the” ministry: the paid professional, full-time minister of some sort, though some of these may apply there as well, but rather I am talking about the average Christian who participates in some ministry and then gets dismayed with it.

Here were some of my faulty assumptions:

1. Since this is being done for the Lord, everything should go smoothly. I can picture some of you smiling. Though I don’t see the devil behind every little problem, we do have an active enemy behind the scenes, and we do live in a fallen world where things break down and problems occur. The icemaker doesn’t know it’s in a church and shouldn’t fall apart just before a banquet that has been planned for months (just one of my “things gone wrong” scenarios.) The microphone makes an excruciating noise just as the soloist steps up, the babysitter forgot she should be there, etc. etc. It just happens.

2. Since we’re all Christians here, we should all agree on how everything should be done. If you read through the book of Acts, you see that the early church leaders had to hammer some things out. Even Barnabas and Paul had a major disagreement, causing them to part ways (and the Bible doesn’t really say who was right and who was wrong there. Some have faulted Paul for not being gracious, but maybe John Mark needed to know how serious his previous failure was. At any rate, they all reconciled later and God used it to multiply the number of people sent out). Leaders should not expect a panel of “yes men” (or woman), no one should be oversensitive about their proposals or ideas, we should all be open to differing opinions but be prepared to stand firm when something needs to be done a certain way.

3. Since we’re all Christians here, we should all have the best attitudes and act in an exemplary way. We should. But we don’t. We’re sinners. That’s not an excuse, but it is a truth. We fail. We disappoint each other. We display selfishness. We need to react to each other with grace, remembering our own faults and failures and need for grace. We might get our feelings hurt, but we need to take it to the Lord: we might need to go to the other person and let them know and try to explain and apologize to each other, or we might need to just let it go, but what we should not do is get bitter and drop out of church or avoid that person forevermore.

4. I should always feel joyful in my ministry. There are times when we get bogged down in details, feel overwhelmed, get tired of it, just don’t enjoy it, wish we hadn’t signed up, etc. And if we think about it a minute, we can feel that way in other areas of life as well. We don’t always respond to our loved ones with love and joy, though we want to and strive and pray for help to. We can get bogged down in the daily duties at home and get irritable about them instead of lovingly ministering to our families. A lack of joy in a ministry may be an indication it’s time to make changes, but more often than not it just means we’re human and, like my friend at the beginning, need to remind ourselves of why we’re doing what we’re doing and for whom we’re doing it. And I usually find that the joy comes not before or even during a task, but afterward.

5. If God calls me to do something, I should always feel sufficient for it. I have found just the opposite to be true. Usually, like Moses, I feel insufficient for it even before I start, but sometimes even if I am asked to do something that I feel God has equipped me for, there is always a point where I feel overwhelmed (I mean locked in the bathroom crying type of overwhelmed). But that’s a good place to be, because that’s when we learn by experience and not just principle that His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

6. If this ministry is in God’s will, there should be plenty of people willing to help with it. Not necessarily. A lot of ministries end up being understaffed because others don’t catch the vision or feel just too busy. Once when I needed to round up some helpers for a particular endeavor, I asked someone who looked to me like she’d have time, but she didn’t feel she did. Then another lady whom I would never have asked because she had so much on her plate volunteered. You just never know, but instead of getting frustrated, just pray about whom to ask. In some cases, it might need to be laid aside until enough people get burdened for it. Once when we were part of a Christian homeschooling ministry, the lady who had started it had her seventh child and just could not carry on with it. We went without it for a year, and then several ladies volunteered to take it up again, breaking it into more manageable pieces for each one rather than having the whole thing on one person’s shoulders. Praying for laborers isn’t restricted to the mission field.

Those are some myths, or misconceptions. Here are the maxims, which will overlap a bit with the above.

1. Something will go wrong, some times worse than others, no matter how well you plan. Take it patiently and pray for wisdom about what to do. God’s given me some marvelous ideas right in the midst of a crisis. And on the other side, if a lady comes tearing out of the church asking you if you’d be willing to go buy some ice because the icemaker stopped working and the banquet starts in half an hour and 100 ladies are coming — please don’t act grumpy and displeased and take 20 minutes to get going (yes, that happened). You don’t know what a balm you can be for someone in the throes of a major problem. And if you come to an event and it’s starting late, don’t be critical: you never know what has happened behind the scenes.

2. Disagreements will occur no matter how much you prayed beforehand. But don’t just dismiss them: sometimes they are God’s way of showing you an aspect you may not have thought of. Even if you can’t make a change and do what the other person suggested, you can make sure they feel heard and respond graciously.

3. You won’t always feel like doing whatever it is you’ve agreed to do. Pray for grace and do it anyway. You’ll probably feel better about it afterward.

4. Realize you can’t do it on your own. Jesus said, “without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5b), but “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

5. People will fail you. They failed Jesus, too. We have failed Him and others. We may need to discuss the specific matter with the person involved as part of their growth and training, but we also need to forgive as we have been forgiven.

6. People will surprise you with sometimes with their willingness to pitch in and help, to support you, to do what needs to be done, to have a great idea just when you can’t think any more, to say a word of encouragement to edify you.

7. Ministry will stretch you. If we never venture out of our comfort zones, we’ll never grow. It’s scary, but we can find God meeting us in our need and providing in the most wonderful ways when we let Him stretch us.

8.Get adequate rest before or in the midst of extra-busy or pressured times.

9. Delegate. Easier said than done sometimes, but pray not only for helpers, but the right helpers. Be prepared that they might not do everything just the way you would and pray for wisdom about when to insist on something being done a certain way and when to go with the flow.

10. Sometimes it is best to say no or step down. A principle instilled in me early on is not to say “no” unless I’ve prayed about it. But sometimes the answer should be No, and sometimes the desire to step down from the ministry is from the Lord. I don’t know how to tell you five easy steps to discern that, but as you walk with the Lord, He’ll show you. Don’t throw in the towel at the first sign of weariness or problems, but take it to Him to see whether he wants you to lean on Him more to carry on, or whether He wants you to make way for someone else to step in.

11. There is nothing like seeing God provide strength and ideas and and even tiny barely-significant details that make you marvel at His attention and care.

12. There is nothing like being used of God (which is what ministry comes down to: allowing God to work through you in some way to minister to another). When someone lets you know that they were blessed or instructed or encouraged through some small thing you said or did, and you know it was only through His grace that it was accomplished, it rejoices your heart, encourages your faith, and spurs you to minister for Him even more. And even if no one else notices, you can be sure that God does.

13. We’re all called to ministry. We may not be a part of an official ministry within the church, but all those who know God are called to minister to one another, to exercise the spiritual gifts He has given, whether in an official church-based capacity or just quietly behind the scenes.

14. Keep first things first. Like Martha, we can be “cumbered about much serving,” “careful and troubled about many things,” and forget the one needful thing: fellowshipping with our Savior. Serving is no substitute for engaging with Him, getting to know Him better, growing in love for Him, believing in Him. Sometimes weariness in service is an indication we’re off track just here.

A beloved former pastor, Jesse Boyd, once said:

Worship without service is a hollow farce.
Service without worship is a hectic fervor.
But worship which issues in service is a holy force.

There is much more that can be said about ministry: there are whole books written on the subject. But I hope some of these thoughts help encourage you in your ministry for the Lord.

What have you learned about ministry along the way?

Other posts about ministry here at Stray Thoughts:

Am I Doing Any Good?
Women in Ministry.
Why Older Women Don’t Serve.
How Older Women Can Serve.
God’s Help for God’s Assignment.
Whose life is it, anyway?
Mentoring Women.
Church Ladies’ Groups.