Ways to be a 'sender'

Missionaries are ordinary people who need friends. They tend to feel isolated at times and out of touch with ever-day life at home. They lose touch with changes in Christian music, clothing styles, sport etc. and feel really out of place when they come home. Like everyone, missionaries need Christian input in terms of teaching, encouragement, refreshment and times for worship in the language they understand best - not just the one they are struggling to learn! Also they often miss the little things from home that you cannot buy in the country that they serve in.

So, if we are aware of this we can do a lot to encourage them and ease the stress of living away from home. Often the simplest little things mean the most, the little things that count for that particular person.

The big question is, what can we do??? Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Write letters
• Phone them - calls to many countries are getting quite cheap these days
• Send a postcard  -perhaps of an Aussie scene or animal - the locals will love to see this and learn about the missionaries home land
• Ask what your group or Sunday school could send to help the project they are involved in (scrapbooks, stationary, pens & pencils...)
• Email - email jokes too (if they want them!)
• Send clippings from the local newspapers - especially about topics of interest to that missionary
• Send sports videos or results (especially their favourite team)
• Send sermon tapes or even better - tape the whole church service
• Worship song tapes - this keeps them up to date and also is a really practical help in their worship if they are the only Christians in the are
• Send them a Christian book that you enjoyed
• Send them a few English novels (often it's hard to get any books in English)
• Send some quality children's books for their kids - this could be a combined project of a group of people (good second hand books are fine - particularly if they have no access to English books)
• Subscribe to a magazine or journal for them - or send them your copies of something relevant to them (eg. aircraft mag or a pilot, medical journal, sports mag)
• Send them some secular music that you think they will enjoy (current hits, classical, jazz, country music - whatever their style is)
• Send tapes for the kids (Wiggles, Play school songs, Christian music for the kids)
• Send photos of people or of recent special events at church
• Send sales brochures - keep them up to date on styles and prices (particularly before they are due to come home again)
• Read snippets of their letters in church to keep others up to date
• Put snippets of their newsletter and a photo in the church news regularly
• Encourage others to pray for them - perhaps a few people could meet once a month (or more often) specifically to pray for certain missionaries
• Get your children to write to their children - exchange photos, send drawings, exchange news on their day to day life
• Send a cassette or video of people from church saying messages to them
• If you hear that elderly parents of the missionary are sick - go to visit or drop in a meal (this would really encourage both the parents and the missionary)
• Remember them, and especially remember what they are up to!
• Learn about the country they are in and let them know by asking intelligent questions in your correspondence!
• Send chocolate, TimTams, Minties, dried fruit etc. (remembering to ask first - some countries customs laws are stringent)
• Send sauce mix packets to add flavour to casseroles (it makes a welcome change from the local diet)
• Give regularly or occasionally to their support
• Send small one-off personal gifts for them to spend on themselves every now and then
• Ask them for photos of their work and set up a display in church (change it regularly to keep up interest)
• Help to arrange the things that they will need to set up house here whilst on home assignment (furlough)
• Pass around some coloured paper at home group and all write a brief bit to them

The limits are only as big as your imagination - and remember that it is an excellent idea to ask them what they miss or what they struggle with most...

Remember that this is all about partnership - you are reaching the world for Christ through these people. They go, not on their own but on the church's behalf. Stand with them as they serve and enjoy the adventure of being part of God's heart for the world!

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