Saturday, November 26, 2011

A very special guest blog post

Today I have a guest blog poster. As most of you know, my daughter was on the mission field with us for five years until she graduated high school. Marla has unique insight not only as a missionary, but as one who turned 13 a month after leaving California.
The Lord put this on her heart and I asked her to write about it so I could share it with all of you blog readers.

I pray it ministers to your heart as it did mine.


I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8

I have read this passage so many times. Today, it has almost become a theme verse for missionaries all over the world. As I read it, Isaiah’s willingness stands out to me. He calls out willingly and eagerly: SEND ME! Millions of missionaries have been sent out worldwide to answer the call of the Lord, with this same eagerness to serve and, along with that, remarkable willingness to sacrifice so very much.

As a former missionary, I find myself in an awkward position. I have experienced how difficult it is to be a missionary-but the longer I am in the States, the more I lose that understanding. Because of that, I want to use my unique experience to help other people see through a little window into the life of a missionary.

As a missionary, life is hard. When you are called to missionary life, there are things you know you will have to give up. A fresh reminder of this comes during the holidays. Christmas seems to be a time when you are reminded of everything you sacrificed. I remember my first Christmas in Hungary, trying to adjust to all the differences, but still getting the family updates and pictures. It may seem small but to someone far from home it is a sign that people still remember-especially as a child far from home your fear becomes that over time you will be forgotten. That is why the small things are important, the little reminders that “we remember and we love you”.

It was from these experiences that I came up with the idea of Mail for Missions. It is a non-denominational ministry that gathers the names and addresses for missionaries all over the world. The plan would be to work with churches and missions pastors all over and develop a system where you can pick a missionary by postage amount, country, or family. The card would be addressed and all the person would do is write a message and take it to the post office. The cost of postage would be their donation. In the economic state of California right now, this is a way for people of all financial standings to minister to others.

That was my idea that I wanted to share with you. I am working on implementing it in the church I am working at now and by next year will be contacting the churches of San Diego County.

Although this is in its planning stage, you can still do something this year. Contact your church and see who the missionaries are and send them a card in the mail this year. Try to get it in the mail asap as delivery time can be anywhere from 10 days to a few weeks depending on where it is going. Get your friends involved. If the missionary family has any children, have your children write a little note to them. It means more than you know! Also, please keep Marla in prayer as she works on this ministry.