I’m sitting here at a retreat center in South Carolina with twelve people who will shortly head out to various countries of the world, new missionaries! I have spent hundreds of hours prior to them being with me listening, coaching, discussing, envisioning and talking through the practical realities of working as missionaries. It is such an honor to Build a Missionary Work Force who will bring lost people to Jesus.What brought me to this work was as a believer I began to understand that so much of the world didn't have the opportunity that I had to respond to the gospel. In fact many could not even hear just because they lived in a place where it was illegal to tell them. This broke my heart. I was challenged to discover what my role was in the great commission.
As I thought about what God wanted I discovered there are four shapes that our involvement could take. I came to believe that each of us must wrestle with and incorporate these aspects into our lives if we want to be obedient and receive joy as we walk with God sharing His passion. The four are: being a sender (those who actually supply the need of those who go), welcomer (a person who receives those who come from another culture to our own), prayer (those who lift up lost people asking God to send people to reach them), and Mobilizer (those who search out people who will go, preparing, training, coaching, envisioning, and providing oversight and help. Everyone can encourage people to go!) But for Cathy and I we knew we could build teams of people who could flood places around the world sharing God's love and desire to redeem His creation.
I meditated on scriptures like Romans 10:14: How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And Acts 13 where we see the first missionaries sent in the New Testament.
This is what Jesus wanted… GO, and make disciples of all nations (ethnic groups). Each of you who pray and give to Cathy and I have a hand in this fruit. As these couples and singles go they will be part of a global movement bringing broken and lost people to knowledge of God. We are honored that you are part of our team. Thank You, thank you, thank you.
Today we have nearly 160 missionaries serving on foreign soil. It is great to be part of so many lives. Once again God, The Lord of the Harvest has shown Himself faithful calling people to Himself. Thank you for being part of His great cause and our lives. Here are the new missionaries I just finished working with:
Keith & Rachel Keller - Czech Republic, Phillip & Autumn Wilkins – Czech Republic, Megan & Ben Naylor - Hungry, Pierre Aragon - Tajikistan, Matthew & Gayle Boyd – Senegal, Megan Kibbey – Scotland, Scott & Jennifer Stadalsky - Scotland
Would you take a moment to pray for them now?
Just for your information I have created a Partnership/Church Resource page on which are some great MP3s and eBooks and a lot of other resources. Check it out. Click this link and select the folder, “MP3s and eBooks” or any other folder and download what you want. There are some great missionary stories.
This is your investment. This is your joy.
Mark Szymanski
Mski1957@gmail.comIf you would like to join our financial support team you can send contributions to: United World Mission, PO Box 602002, Charlotte NC 28260-2002 and write ACCT# 11013 in the memo line. Further info about on-line giving and other programs see UWM.
