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Top 5's of Mission Work

Discussion in 'Evangelism, Missions & Witnessing' started by Spinach, Jul 10, 2009.

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  1. Spinach

    Spinach New Member

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    Next week I'll be doing a "Top 5" series on missionary life (based solely on personal experiences) on [url="www.perfectinhim.blogspot.com]my blog[/url] and I got to thinking about the BB and thought I'd like to hear others' perspectives of these subjects:

    You know you're a missionary if...

    Deputation mistakes

    Strange sightings/experiences

    Missionary frustrations (on the field)

    Missionary Blessings

    Cultural differences

    Ways to be a blessing to a missionary

    Remember, these are the top 5. Some could have more, but I couldn't consistently get more than 5. Each work/location is so different, so the diversity could be quite an interesting read. I hope y'all will participate. :)
     
    #1 Spinach, Jul 10, 2009
  2. Mexdeaf

    Mexdeaf New Member

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    Deputation mistakes- make sure you know where the pastor you are visiting with was born and raised. I made the mistake of mentioning NYC (in a nice way, I thought...) in a church where the pastor was born and raised there.

    Also be careful about having bumper stickers on your car- a Florida Gators sticker is a no-no in Tallahassee, FL.

    Strange experiences- staying in stranger's homes while on deputation. Some folks made us feel at home. Others- well, you ever watch 'The Munsters'? Kinda scary sometimes.

    Frustrations on the field- MONEY! Raising it and managing it. Folks on the field think we have a money tree hidden someplace, so they think the missionary should pay for everything. Folks back home figure- "out of sight, out of mind." Thank God for a few faithful churches/people with a vision!

    That's all for now...
     
    #2 Mexdeaf, Jul 10, 2009
  3. Spinach

    Spinach New Member

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    Never double book!

    Feigning a smile as you are presented to a church as "Converted Yankees".

    Oh, and I agree about the money. It's a frustration because it's not like you can go work overtime or something. Also, there are no car loans, no mortgages, nothing. While this can be a VERY good thing, it can also make things VERY difficult. One missionary we met said that churches expected him to live on a dime and look like a hundred bucks. I now know what he meant.

    Dh says that money is not his greatest frustration----though it ranks right up there. He said that it is most frustrating to him that the devil uses every stress to ulitmately attack the home. He's right. It can be quite miserable. He said that is his greatest personal frustration.
     
    #3 Spinach, Jul 11, 2009
  4. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    A friend of mine had been on the road visiting churches and away from his family for almost 6 weeks. He was so tired that during his slide presentation (show you how long ago this was), that he just started hitting the forward button every 3 secnds whether he had said something or not. Got thru it in 3 minutes and didn't remember a thing he had said. Needless to say, he told me, the church chose not to support him.
     
    #4 Tom Bryant, Jul 11, 2009
  5. Spinach

    Spinach New Member

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    That's sad and funny at the same time!

    I've told a few deputation stories here (anyone remember my child's poo on the church carpet?). Deputation can be rough. It's hard on a family----one church enjoys seeing the family while the next church thinks that the man should travel while the wife and kids stay home (so as to not disrupt the childrens' regular routine). Some churches prefer that women not wear red. Some don't mind pants. It's so diverse that you just go and be you and see what happens.
     
    #5 Spinach, Jul 11, 2009
  6. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    I've stayed in "Pastor Munster's" house. I sat on the stairs with my brand new suit and stood up with bubble gum on the seat of my pants. Our son, a little boy at the time, put his pants on the floor of the boys' room he was staying in. There were so many clothes on the floor that the next morning none of us could find his pants!! :eek:
     
    #6 John of Japan, Jul 14, 2009
  7. Jim1999

    Jim1999 <img src =/Jim1999.jpg>

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    I like that old writer's saying, "To thine own self be true."

    When missionaries came to my churches, I made certain they stayed with the right families, and I advised them not to speak about finances. I would handle that for them. I just wanted them to talk about the mission field, the needs there, conditions and what was their goals.

    It is sad that missonaries have to defend themselves.

    Cheers,

    Jim
     
    #7 Jim1999, Jul 14, 2009
  8. Spinach

    Spinach New Member

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    I agree, Jim.

    On our deptutation, we never did have to stay with people. We were always in a motel. Honestly, we preferred it. We are such a large family and it would have been difficult to any otherwise.

    I'm on day 4 of my blog series. Yesterday's was the most fun. Today's is coming a little slowly. The one I'm really lookinf forward to is the last one. It will be long and loaded! It's the one called "5 Ways to be a Blessing to a Missionary".

    As an aside, since starting this series, I have felt like I have been under a spiritual attack. Last night I nearly had a panic attack (haven't had one of those for a year and a half). After this week I'm just going to post recipes or something like that and maybe I'll be left alone. LOL!!!
     
    #8 Spinach, Jul 15, 2009
  9. Spinach

    Spinach New Member

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    Today was my last post of the series and I'm a bit mentally exhausted---which caught me by surprise. I'm proud of the articles, though.
     
    #9 Spinach, Jul 18, 2009
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