People receive the desire to be a witness for Christ at different times in their lives. Although it is a command, we often get busy with our lives and the accumulation of personal possessions that we forget our responsibility as Christians to "go" and "tell" people about Jesus - the Savior of the world. All Christians are called to be a light for Christ in the world. Every Christian lives on a mission field. Those who don't know Christ are all around us. So whether you want to be a domestic or international Christian missionary, be encouraged. You can do it!
4 steps to become a missionary
1. Ask God. Pray and ask God about what He wants you to do, where He wants you to do, and how you are going to get there. Pray, even if you think God wants you to be a missionary in your own neighborhood. Pray for God's direction and to be able to hear what He is saying and to be able to obey His leading. Pray for God to break your heart for the broken for the hurting and the lost. Pray and listen.
2. Get counsel. Talk to the people closest to you, the ones who love you and know you best. Ask them what they think. Ask them to pray with you. Ask them to pray for courage!
3. Inform your church leader. Let your pastor, minister, or leader of your group know that God is working in your life to be a more dynamic witness for Him. Ask for insight, advice and tap into their wisdom and experience. Also, ask them if the church will stand with you and and commit to supporting you in your calling.
4. Research. Get information to help you decide what kind of work you would like to do, where you feel God is leading you, and what organization you would like to work with. Start asking the people around you about different sending missions organizations such as Adventures in Missions. Through it all, pray.
Let the Lord lead you. Take a leap of faith. You will never regret it!
Every day, someone wakes up and during the course of their day they feel the calling to be a missionary. Many are not sure what to do when they feel this desire. Where should they go? How will they get there? Will they have to go alone and maybe die serving God as a missionary? And what is a missionary?
Often the image of a missionary is someone who is trudging through the jungles of Africa with a big Bible in their hands. They are trying to reach remote tribes and villages. There are bugs, snakes, high heat and humidity, and overall miserable conditions. Disease runs rampant and before the missionary ever gets to the tribe, they contract malaria and die alone in a pool of sweat in a tent far from civilization.
Great. Do I really want to be a missionary? Am I really up for the challenge? Is God capable of watching over me 24/7? But I don't have any money to even get to the other side of the world - where I'm not sure I really want to go. I'm getting scared. Time to put away that calling.
But is it really that bad? Is being a missionary full of suffering and misery and sacrifice that we often envision? Maybe there is some adventure in it and some fun. Maybe it's not as bad as my mind imagines. After all, I've met some missionaries and they seem to be OK and relatively normal. Where should I turn for help and advice?
There are many Christian mission organizations such as Adventures in Missions that can help you become a missionary and walk you through the process of fulfilling your calling. Sure, some people are sent to the jungles, but most are sent to the mega cities of the world. After all, that's where most of the world's people live. They are streaming to the cities by the millions every day. If you want to reach isolated villages and people groups, go to the cities. Every year, millions of city dwellers in far off lands, go to the remote countryside to visit family and friends for the holidays. If you can reach them in the city, they will one day take the Gospel to the isolated villages. The challenge is huge. The numbers of people to reach with the Gospel is staggering. The work is hard and often discouraging. But most likely you'll live in an apartment close to modern amenities and transportation. You will have running water, food to eat, doctors nearby, and other Christians with which you can fellowship and be encouraged. You'll travel, have some fun, laugh, cry, and wish that some idiot hadn't drawn up plans to build the tower of Babel.
So why not become a missionary and give it a try? Commit to be a missionary for two years. You will be surprised at how fast the time will go as you experience something that will stretch your faith as you work to spread the good news of the forgiveness of sins and salvation from hell through faith in Jesus Christ. You'll never regret becoming a missionary.
1. Have a sense of call to a place or people group. 2. Understand yourself and the kind of ministry that best uses your gifts. 3. Form a strong sending team around you. 4. Join and serve alongside a team on the mission field that will act as your church. 5. Support your leader on the field. 6. Look for opportunities to make a difference that will impact people's lives with the Gospel. 7. Work with others to create a plan for personal spiritual and mental growth. 8. Join a mission organization like Adventures in Missions that provides training and support. 9. Find a mentor willing to invest in you. 10. Have a dynamic relationship with Jesus who is your solid ground on which all else is built.
10 tips on how you can prepare to be a missionary.
1. Have a solid understanding of biblical principles. 2. Be able to clearly communicate God's plan of salvation using scripture. 3. Engage with people from other cultures and learn from them. 4. Communicate your calling to your pastor and keep your church/home group well informed. 5. Get some training before you go to the mission field. 6. Expose yourself to other cultures through short-term missions trips. 7. Learn a foreign language. It will make learning another one easier. 8. Read books that will help you prepare to become an effective missionary. 9. Understand your identity in Christ. 10. Be flexible, adaptable and teachable. Prepare yourself to be a life-long learner.
Missions books to read to prepare you to be a missionary.
1. Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, edited by Ralph Winter and S. Hawthorne 2. Perspectives Exposure Workbook edited by Meg Crossman 3. Send Me: Your Journey to the Nations Workbook by Steve Hoke and Bill Taylor 4. From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya by Ruth Tucker 5. A History of Missions by Stephen Neill 6. Operation World by Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk 7. Scaling the Wall by Kathy Hicks 8. Foreign to Familiar by Sarah A. Lanier 9. Cross-cultural Conflict by Duane Elmer 10. Ministering Cross-Culturally by Marvin Lingenfelter 11. Compact Guide to World Religions by Dean C. Halverson 12. Global Missions Handbook by Steve
Hoke & Bill Taylor 13. Unveiled at Last by Bob Sjogren 14. Let the Nations be Glad by John Piper 15. On Mission by Avery Willis and Henry Blackaby 16. True Grit by Debbie Meroff 17. Out of the Comfort Zone by George Verwer 18. Loving the Church, Blessing the Nations by George Miley 19. Families on the Move by Marion Knell 20. A Mind for Missions by Paul Borthwick
Helpful books to read on raising financial support and support team building.
Specialized books to read that will help you be an effective missionary to Muslims.
1. The Cross and the Crescent by Phil Parshall 2. Ishmael, My Brother by Anne Cooper and Elise A. Maxwell 3. Lifting the Veil by Phil and Julie Parshall 4. Inside Islam by Reza Safa 5. Sword of Allah by David Zeidan 6. Longing to Call them Sisters: Ministry to Muslim Women by Fran Love and Jeleta Eckheart 7. A Christian's Response to Islam by William M. Miller 8. Sharing your Faith with a Muslim by Abdiyah Akbar Abdul-Haqq 9. World of Islam CD with 50 books/papers on Islam by Global Mapping International 10. Waging Peace on Islam by Christine A. Mallouhi 11. Islam in Context by Peter G. Riddell and Peter Cotterell
Specialized bookss to read on Hinduism and ministering to Hindus.
1. Spirit of Hinduism by David Burnett 2. Death of a Guru by Rabi Maharaj 3. Following Jesus in the Hindu Context by H. L. Richard 4. Specialized resources on Buddhism 5. Sharing Jesus Holistically with the Buddhist World by David Lim and Steve Spaulding
Caring for Missionaries and Re-entry.
1. The Reentry Team by Neil Pirolo 2. Doing Member Care Well, edited by Kelly O'Donnell 3. Honorably Wounded by Marjory Foyle 4. Serving as Senders by Neil Pirolo 5. Re-entry by Peter Jordan
For helpful summaries on many of these books, go to: www.davidmays.org
Adventures in Missions mobilizes passionate followers of Jesus to help spread the Gospel around the world and make disciples of Christ. We are taking Jesus into the dark places through the sending out of missionaries who bring a message of hope - the good news of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
It is impossible to "rescue" the millions of people that are trapped in terribly hopeless situations around the world. So we seek to bring Jesus in, through the lives of His children and His Word, and let Him change circumstances, lives, communities, nations and ultimately the world.
Sports camps, youth centers and playgrounds of Ireland
Homes, offices, parks, and wherever you find people anywhere in the world
Adventures in Missions is bringing hope to the rich, poor, happy, sad, lonely, outcast, desperate, fatherless, and the hopeless.
Our goal is to bring Jesus and His message of hope and salvation to the Materialist, Atheist, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Animist, the non-religious and those that think they can get to heaven by being "good".
Will you take up the challenge to be the hands and feet of Jesus to bring His compassionate love to the drug dealer, businessman, laborer, prostitute, farmer, homeless, widow, educated, illiterate, and those searching for meaning in life?
Do you know of someone who wants to live in community, get mentored, grow and make a difference in the world? Tell them about Adventures in Missions and our desire to minister to those in need.
Feed and bring hope to orphans and refugees.
Help rescue women and children from sex trafficking.
Reach out, disciple and mentor young people.
Oppose injustice to bring about spiritual and social transformation.
Use sports, drama, music, VBS, and relational evangelism to tell others about Jesus.
Share the Gospel by teaching English.
Help plant churches in remote villages.
Provide support for missions work through administration, logistics, finance, IT, and communications.
And so much more!
Whatever your abilities or age, you can be used by God to help make Jesus known throughout the world!
If you have no desire to go to the hard and dark places yourself, will you send someone? You can be their supporter in prayer, finances, correspondence, and care. Share in the eternal awards that await those that go about doing the Father's business! Is there anything better?
This past year we saw some amazing international events. Numerous governments were overthrown, dictators were deposed, and thousands of people lost their lives in order to bring about change. As a Christian, we might ask ourselves, "Where is God in all of this? What is He doing? What's going on?"
For many people, observing unrest around the world is very unsettling. Stock markets are rattled, gas becomes more expensive, retailers are on edge, and the sale of antidepressants rise.
So what can one do beside sit, watch, wait and fall victim to circumstance. Or maybe there is something that can be done. Prayer can accomplish amazing things. Often we don't pray very much until we get into a tight spot. Prayer is hard work. It takes effort and since we often don't see immediate results, we tend to give up. But is the most powerful thing that you have that can help change the world.
What about getting on a plane and leaving your country and getting involved in a far away crisis? Sounds radical doesn't it. Short-term missions trips are great. But they're short. How about an extended mission trip? One year? Two years? Or more? Two years sounds like a long time, but it really isn't. Aside from a few lame TV shows, not a whole lot will change while you're gone.
Here are 10 ways in which you will benefit from an extended mission trip:
experience vibrant cultures
learn new languages
understand different world views
get insight into how you are viewed by other societies
And as a Christian, we have THE message of hope - eternal life in heaven through Jesus Christ!
There are many more benefits received from extended misisons trips. And who knows, maybe you'll like it so much you'll want to live outside your country for your entire life! Imaging the impact for good you could make!
The fellowship and camaraderie at Adventures in Missions was clearly evident at the recent Christmas party held at the home office in Gainesville, GA. Food, fun, music and entertainment were a part of the evening events. Great strides were made by many volunteers and office staff to make it an unforgetable evening. Working together, they got creative, improvised, adjusted, and did much with little to make the meeting room in the office look spectacular. Over 180 people came to the event which included staff and their spouses. There was a special event also for the children. The evening ended too quickly but the bonfire and the candles that lit the walkways made it for a cozy conclusion. It's great to be a part of a larger faith family that inculdes believers around the world. We realize that many Christians are not able to celebrate like we can here in America. How easy it is to forget them like, Iraqi, Afghani, Yemeni, and Saudi Christians. And let's not forget the Pakistani, Bengali, Libyan, and Moroccan Christians. Then there are the Chinese, Burmese, and North Korean Christians. Many of our dear brothers and sisters suffer so much, more than we know. But great are their rewards in heaven as they look forward to their eternal home. We, however, in our affluence, can easily lose our eternal perspective and focus our eyes on material things and immediate gratifications.
A cross-cultural missions experience is life changing and Adventures in Missions seeks to impact not only the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but also the lives of those who go and bring the message. As Christian Americans leave their country and encounter new cultures, customs, languages, and religions, it challenges them and transforms them in a way that is hard to describe. Adventures in Missions has many types of missions programs and one of them is The World Race. The World Race is an 11 month, 11 country missions and exposure trip that has mobilized hundreds of young people from around the country into missions. During their travels, they are witnesses for Christ to places in Central and South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. None of them return the same people that left. Their lives are "wrecked" as their world view expands, changes, and is refined. They begin to see the people's of the world as God sees them and they develop hearts of understanding and compassion.
Have you ever gone on a missions trip? What did it do for you? What did it do TO you?
We moved into our new neighborhood a few weeks ago just prior to beginning our work with Adventures in Missions. Since we have two young children, we asked around to see if there were any other children in the area. Sure enough, there were several our daughters' ages. We first met a few of the boys but where were the girls? Out jogging one morning, Mark passed by two kids waitng for the school bus. He stopped to chat to get to know the young boy and his sister and to find out where they lived. He told them where our family lived. Later that evening Mark suggested to our daughters that we go over and introduce ourselves. "No way, that's too weird." they said. And none of our urging seemed to help so we figured we would just drop the subject and that we'd meet them eventually.
Half an hour later, our doorbell rang. Must be the delivery man. But when we opened the door, there stood the two kids that Mark met that morning. It was dark outside, the boy had no shoes on and there was no sign of any adult. We invited them in and quickly developed a nice rapport. Mark asked them if they go to church. They said they usually go with their dad, who lives in another town, on the weekends that they visit him. Mark asked the young girl, "Do you like going to church?" "Yes." she replied. "It's full of love." Wow, we thought, that's great. We told them that we just started to attend Riverbend Baptist Church in Gainesville and invited them to come along any time they'd like particularly to the AWANA children's program on Wednesday evenings. A few minutes later they departed and we watched as they walked home, impressed that their mom would let them visit strangers in the neighborhood and for the initiative the kids took in welcoming us.
The next day we received a phone call from the girl and she asked if she could go to AWANA with us. "This is awesome!" we told our daughters. "God is at work and it's great to be a part and watch what He is doing." All we did was extend the invitation and God did the rest. He was working in the lives of these children and in our neighborhood long before we ever moved in. Now we want to be a part of His plan for our subdivision and be a shining light on the hill. Eventually we'll meet the parents (often through the children) and be a witness for our Saviour to all. The Christian life is fun.
On January 11, 2012, several dozen Christian women from across the globe will begin their ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. January 11 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the U.S. The climbers will be raising awareness, prayers, and finances for women and children being oppressed, enslaved, exploited and trafficked. The goal for the Freedom Climb is to affect the lives of 10,000 women and children through projects that break the cycles of poverty, shame, slavery, and despair.
Read more about it at: www.thefreedomclimb.net where you can sign up for email updates and follow the women up Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Meet some of these women who range in ages 20 - 60+! What they are going to try and achieve is amazing given that these women are not professional climbers. They are ordinary women from your community who have a passion to do something about human sex trafficking. How can you get involved? Sponsor one of these women or one of the projects through Operation Mobilization and the funds raised will be used for prevention and rescue and rehabilitation.
Kingdom Dreams, a ministry of Adventures in Missions (AIM), exists to connect people of all ages with the right resources to join in what God is doing around the world.
It's time to discover, pursue, and launch your dream today. AIM's network of coaches and mentors will provide the support you need to move from a feeling of being “stuck” to coming alive in your purpose.
Kingdom Dreams can tangibly help you in the following ways:
Job Opportunities - We know you have a passion for the Lord, but it's difficult finding a job where you can use that passion. We're building a database of kingdom jobs taking care of the search for you.
Assessment - We have people and tools that can clarify your strengths, giftings, where God is leading, and who God made you to be. Kingdom Dreams will help map out a path towards realizing your future.
Networking - You have dreams and aspirations but need help getting started. Let us share our network with you. If you need to learn from others with more experience, or are looking for people to join you in your dream, we can connect you. Let's unite the body of Christ.
Dream Development - God may have given you a dream or a passion. Whether you want to start a business, an orphanage, an international ministry, or something else, we want to help make it happen. If your dream is to serve an existing ministry or business, we can point you in the right direction.
Coaching/Consulting - We all need mentors to encourage, challenge, and clarify the path God has for us. We are a growing network of coaches who passionately believe in raising up a generation of radical followers of Christ, and want to help you reach your next step. Coaches can focus on personal or kingdom dream development depending on your needs.
