Missionary Confidential

Mentanna over at “Musings From a French-Fried Texan” continues her assimilation back into her home country with a fascinating post entitled “Whiplash”. I can relate on a small scale as we’ve just recently hosted several sets of American friends in our home. It took me by surprise that their American behaviour shocked me so much as it definitely would not have several years ago. Favourite quote:

“this kind of encounter would never have taken place in france. as a matter of fact, it often takes about 6 months and 16 conversations before you even learn someone’s name. getting to know a frenchie can be exceedingly frustrating due to the excruciatingly slow pace at which personal information is exchanged. one must never forget that intimacy in france is measured in years not minutes.”

The latest issue of “Support Raising Solutions” from TheBodyBuilders.net focuses on the Top Five Myths in Support Raising. We certainly suffered from Number 2 early on (“I can do this alone”), partly because of our tentmaking ability with our business in the States. God quickly convicted us that, even if we could completely fund our ministry, prayer support and communication is really the most important part.

Number 3 (“Everybody’s already tapped out”) reminds me of my work in advertising. The sales manager always emphasised that the sales people had to approach everyone regardless of whether it appeared that their business could afford promotion; stop making the decision for potential advertisers, he’d say, and let them make it. You’d be absolutely shocked to know who our biggest and most consistent financial supporter is—and where they live.

Finally, Number 5 (“I will have to scrape by the rest of my life”) reminds me that, while prosperity gospel is not our goal, neither should be poverty theology; the whole attitude seems defeatist. However, I believe that non-missionary Christians are just as guilty at perpetuating this myth with this odd expectation of missionary life—but not for them, their Christian friends or their pastor. If the funding ultimately comes from God, then differentiating lifestyle by parts of The Body doesn’t really make sense.

Check it out here: Top Five Myths in Support Raising

Number 20 left a week ago. She was supposed to be here long-term indefinitely, but she made it almost two years which is longer than the 18-month average here.

Since we’ve been in the field, twenty missionaries have left permanently, all before their stated term and some in terribly egregious ways. These are all people we knew relatively well and interacted with; these are not second- or third-hand statistics. If I pulled from those sources, I’m sure there’s more.

Why I bring this up is not to be complaintive about the loss (our mission field is notorious for chewing people up and spitting them out, so unfortunately none of this is a surprise) but to highlight an issue that I’m sure people don’t consider when they depart: what happens to a mission field when the missionary leaves? » Read the rest of this entry «

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“Living a full and overflowing life does not rest in bodily health, in circumstances, nor even in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the same fellowship and oneness with Him that Jesus Himself enjoyed.” {emphasis added}
—Oswald Chambers, “My Utmost For His Highest”, 31 August