How to Support a Missionary

Are there ways to support a missionary beyond sending money?

I’ve been reading about missionaries quite a bit the last several years.

Certainly, we donate to missionaries.

But recently, I realized we can help a missionary without handing out any money at all.

Indeed, there are several ways.

Prayer

When a good friend lived with us on furlough several years ago, she needed to raise support for her task in a foreign land.

More than funds, she recognized she needed prayer support.

As she traveled about our area, she always asked for prayer, never for funds.

Her faith remained fixed on God, believing that the Holy Spirit should inspire people to give what they had.

Sometimes that was money.

Sometimes people gave her cars to drive, lunches, a computer, or plane tickets.

She never asked for anything except for prayer.

Every missionary I know craves prayer support more than anything.

Visits

We’ve visited that particular missionary overseas.

My husband and I stopped by once to worship at a church we helped plant.

We traveled to Mexico and helped paint and repair a building.

Nicaragua captured our hearts when we traveled there for a short-term missionary project several years ago.

(You can read my seventeen posts on that trip starting here, or search the website for Nicaragua).

Mail and packages

I’ve been collecting a variety of items to mail to a missionary friend soon.

She asked for a few items she can’t get overseas (baking powder, food coloring, San Francisco Giants baseball team magazine).

I include past issues of Christianity Today and World Magazine, along with books she might like.

A birthday present will be tucked inside, too.

She’s a long way from home.

I also like to send Amazon gift cards and ebooks.

Internet

I just finished chatting with my friend on Facebook Messenger.

We Skype or Facetime periodically.

She sent me a Youtube video recently.

Several friends send daily updates while on short-term mission projects.

Presentations

Our church’s youth group returned last night from their annual mission trip.

We love to attend their presentation at church.

Over the years, their recounting has grown to include scads of photos, videos, and an entire booklet filled with personal testimonies.

The Nicaragua team (our church goes yearly to provide an eyeglass ministry) will be on tap in two weeks to tell their story.

I love the stories and the room is always packed.

Other Practical Helps

My daughter got caught between trips last week. She returned from Africa on Monday afternoon and left for Nicaragua Friday night.

Of her four nights home, she slept the first and second (for 16 and 12 hours, respectively) and worked the other two.

She needed to write up her Africa adventures, prepare for Central America, work, and pack out her apartment for a move.

I pulled a Biddy and flew down to help her.

True, I wanted to hear the stories firsthand, but she needed help.

So, this retired Navy wife packed, brought food, ran errands, washed the car and filled it up, reviewed her paper, and took her out to lunch.

I also answered questions about lost paperwork at midnight when she got off shift.

It was a pleasure to help her–because I love her–but also because it made me (a tiny) part of that Nicaragua mission trip.

Ephesians 4:10 talks about the need to build up the body of Christ, and lists some of the roles.

Curious how money isn’t on that list.

But don’t let that stop you from giving, helping, praying, visiting, attending presentations, packing, running errands, sending packages, and watching videos.

In doing so, we’re all part of the Great Commission!

Tweetables

Practical ways to help missionaries. Click to Tweet

How to help missionaries besides giving money. Click to Tweet

Non-monetary ways to help missionaries. Click to Tweet