Missions Archives | Being Confident Of This

The Most Important Part of the Missionary Kid Experience

June 6, 2015 by jstults 23 Comments

The question of where I am from has to be the most difficult question to answer when I meet new people.

I’m an MK, missionary kid. I’ve lived in Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and even overseas in Papua New Guinea. I’ve left a little piece of my heart in each of these places, so deciding which to call my “home” is impossible!

And usually when I bring up the fact that I’m an MK, a host of other questions follow, questions that are complicated to answer in a brief get-to-know-you conversation.

The truth is that being an MK is sometimes difficult. We left the States for Papua New Guinea (PNG) when I was fourteen years old. Prior to that, we moved every 1-2 years, so saying goodbye was a part of life, a part that certainly never got any easier.

When we arrived in PNG, my siblings and I faced other trials, such as beginning at a new school, adjusting to life without modern conveniences, and handling less freedom (mainly for girls, as it wasn’t safe to walk about alone). But the hardest part? The hardest part was living apart from our parents in a family-style dorm.

Moving to a third-world country was hard enough, but add in teenage hormones and it might just be a recipe for disaster. 🙂

Making new friends at that age is always hard, but it was complicated by the fact that I was once again, the “new girl” in a school full of students who had mostly known each other all of their lives. I felt out of place and alone at first, with my parents only accessibly by short-wave radio.

But by far one of the blessings of being an MK and moving to PNG was that I attended a small, Christian school run by other missionaries. Making friends was a little easier due to the fact that most of us lived together (on the school base), played together (sports like soccer, volleyball, softball, and basketball) and went to class together.

In fact, in my case the blessings of life as an MK far outweighed the trials.

I watched my parents live out their faith in a very practical way. I also lived alongside other godly examples: teachers, dorm parents, coaches, youth leaders, and other missionaries who had devoted themselves to the spread of the gospel. Seeing their faith in action had a profound impact on me.

Additionally, I made friends who came from all over the world – Canada, Ireland, Australia, PNG, India, England and more – and learned what living in a third world country is really like. I learned a new culture and some of a new language, two in fact!

More importantly, I saw people go hungry, both spiritually and physically, a lesson I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

As an MK, I also experienced quite a bit of adventure. I swam in the ocean and played on an “untouched” beach when our class traveled to a port city. I climbed Mt. Elimbari with my family and made it halfway up Mt. Wilhelm with my class, the highest in the country at an elevation of over 14,000 feet.

Mount Elimbari, Papua New Guinea

I jumped from a two-story cliff into a pool of water at Keia Falls, multiple times. I hiked in the “bush,” ate fresh tropical fruit, and attended many “mumus,” feasts cooked in a large pit in the ground filled with pork or chicken, sweet potatoes of all varieties, greens, and sometimes corn, my favorite.

During school breaks, I spent time in the tribe with my parents in our bush house – a small house of woven bamboo and pit-pit (a smaller reed) with a tin roof, up on stilts, on the side of a red-clay mountain range. The view was to die for! 🙂

Sometimes I really miss living in PNG. Life there was quieter and slower-paced. We spent little time watching our tiny tv on batter power. We spent much time outdoors, enjoying the beautiful landscape. We played a lot of board games, even by kerosene lantern, and ate a lot of stove-popped popcorn.

Certainly the most important thing I could tell you about being an MK is that I wouldn’t choose any differently, in spite of the tough times.

Because the best blessing I received during those years was better than every good opportunity I listed above.

The best blessing was an opportunity to grow near to the Lord.

During those years in PNG, my faith became real and personal to me. The Lord removed all of my comforts, everything I leaned on (including my parents), to bring me into a deeper walk with Himself. At times, He even removed my very health. But it wasn’t for naught. There was purpose in even the most painful trials.

He pursued me, all the way to Papua New Guinea and back.

He pursues me still.

So maybe the best answer to “Where are you from?” is to simply say:
I’m an MK, so I’m from all over the place!
I don’t have just one home; I have many.
But I know Who I belong to.
And He’s been faithful all along the way!

“Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.” Psalm 36:5

Jen 🙂

This post has been published in The Missional Handbook by Rosilind Jukic. If you have any interest in missions, this book contains a wealth of information from a variety of perspectives (affiliate link).

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Sharing with: The Loft, Make Your Home Sing Mondays, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, Tell His Story, Wholehearted Wednesdays, Grace and Truth

3 Important Traits of a Missional Believer

May 7, 2014 by stultsmamaof4 3 Comments

Today I’m honored to share a word from Rosilind Jukic, the author of the newly released Missional Handbook. If you want to know more about The Missional Handbook, be sure to visit Monday’s post with my brief review.

The small eBook sat on my hard drive for nearly a decade. It was a project I had begun as a rookie missionary in Tuzla, Bosnia where God challenged every classic notion I had about missions. During my 3-month stay in Bosnia I received a number of emails asking about missions and how one could prepare to become a missionary. The slower pace of that small town enabled me to take ample time to reflect on these important questions, which led to more questions, and what poured out was a small document that was abandoned for nearly a decade while God allowed those thoughts to mature and deepen.

In this complex idea of missional living that today’s church is trying so hard to grasp, there are three things that stand out to me as being most important

Three important traits of every missional believer.

1. Realize that all believers are called be missionaries.

Some are called to foreign missions while others are called to local missions. Some are called to full-time missions while others are called to be missional at the workplace. Wherever we are, we are standing on a mission field and are called to bring God’s kingdom to bear in our realm of influence: no matter how narrow or wide that realm may be.

2. Recognize the power of motivation

The era of spectatorship is over. It is time for the lay people to arise with the power and authority given them in Christ and fulfill Christ’s command. Pastors, missionaries and evangelists cannot and should not do it all. Jesus spent 3 years training and empowering His disciples to minister, and those disciples trained and empowered the early church to minister. Local people reaching those within their sphere of influence is what the 21st century missional community must look like!

3. Understand the force of multiplication

If one missionary successfully reaches ten souls, then those ten souls have the potential to reach one hundred souls. If those one hundred souls each reach ten souls, one thousand new souls have been won for Christ! If one thousand believers reach ten new souls, ten thousand new souls have entered the kingdom. The concept of multiplication is seen throughout scripture. Unfortunately, it is not prevalent on today’s mission field. We still operate under the old system of missionaries carving out new works on foreign fields. This is not as necessary as it was 150 years ago. However, what is very necessary is mentorship. Most countries need quality, seasoned believers to mentor them in effective soul-winning, ministry leadership and discipleship. Mentorship creates multiplication. Multiplication allows the flood of the gospel to sweep a nation with an atomic force.

After leaving Bosnia in March 2006, I returned to Croatia where I have served in a small local church in Zagreb. Over these past eight and a half years I have watched these three traits in action. I have added to that small abandoned booklet and it has finally been released in what I simply titled “The Missional Handbook”. The Missional Handbook examines missional living on local, technological, and global levels, each from many varied angles.

A missionary is simply a believer who takes the message of the gospel to the lost, wherever they may be. What is your sphere of influence? The neighborhood park? Your work place? The classroom? That is where Christ has commissioned you to be a missionary.

I pray that as you read this book, that it’s simple challenge will cause you reexamine all you’ve thought missions to be, and find new and innovative ways to become missional right where you are!

Rosilind is an American girl married to a Bosnian guy who lives in a
small village just outside of Zagreb. They have two crazy boys who are
as opposite as boys can be. When Rosilind isn’t writing, she is dreaming
up recipes and searching for ways to organize her home better. She is
the founder and author of Missional Call – a resource center and community for missionaries and those who are passionate about missions.

What Makes a Missionary?

May 5, 2014 by stultsmamaof4 18 Comments

I recently finished reading Rosilind Jukic’s new release The Missional Handbook, a handy guide for those considering a missionary lifestyle and even those simply interested in missions work. In it, the author addresses a key question that is often misunderstood: what makes someone a missionary?

from Missional Call

I remember struggling with this question in my early years of college, when I was searching for God’s plan for my life. After my years spent as an MK (missionary kid) on the field of Papua New Guinea, I knew the urgent need for career missionaries and I felt a real burden for unreached people groups. So, of course, I assumed I would be an overseas missionary someday. 🙂

Oh, how the Lord has a way of changing our best-laid plans! Once I met my husband, I began to consider a different ministry, that of pastor’s wife. Even before we married, I wholeheartedly embraced the role of youth leader and helpmeet to my husband, who was a young youth minister. I found purpose and contentment in this role.

But then our first child came along and I was no longer as free to be involved with my husband’s ministry. Life became busy and more complicated, as it usually does after children. 🙂 Suddenly, the role I thought I was meant for had to be put aside while I focused on raising our son. I began to feel like a bit of a failure since I wasn’t “serving the Lord” in the way I thought I should be, one of many undesired sacrifices I offered up in my attempt to earn the approval He freely gives!

Fast forward a year or two and we decided to take an extended break from full-time ministry. We had marital issues that needed tending to, as well as wounds from the past we both needed to deal with. It was a difficult time for both of us as we often felt like failures. We questioned God’s path for us, for our future.

It took me a few years, but slowly I began to learn the truth that Rosilind Jukic shares in The Missional Handbook – we can and should minister right where we are! We should all be involved in missionary work, whether it be in our homes, on our streets, in our churches, or overseas. Eventually, I began to see that mothering itself is a ministry, a mission field of sorts – we should be missionaries first in our own homes to the young minds we have been entrusted with!

from Missional Call

So, if you are ever tempted to think, I’m just a mom – what can I possibly do?, recognize that as the voice of the Great Deceiver. He likes us to believe that ministry work only “counts” if titles and positions like missionary or pastor are involved. He likes to make investing in others more about us and less about Christ. He wants us apathetic and discouraged and feeling like failures. Because then we are paralyzed to do the work God has set before us.

If you desire to reach others with the Good News, begin right where you are!

Ask the Lord to show you those He has put in your path. Ask Him to bring you someone to mentor or disciple (and then be ready for a possibly surprising answer!). Or perhaps you are mother to young children? Begin right there in your home. Be intentional about teaching your children biblical truth (don’t just leave it to the church). Be intentional about teaching them the importance of missions, too!

It’s never too late to start being a missionary.

In fact, you probably already are one whether you realize it or not. 🙂

For more information on modern missions work, be sure to check out Rosilind’s new book, The Missional Handbook (buy before Wednesday when the sale ends!)

The Missional Handbook available now!

In this book, you’ll find first-hand experiences of missionaries entering overseas fields and tips for potential missionaries. You’ll also find Jukic’s unique ideas on how missions work needs to be modernized to be more effective, and practical ways that readers can become more missions-minded right in their own countries. I especially enjoyed her section on “uncommon” missionaries, the question and answer section, and the personal accounts she includes in the bonus section of her book. You’ll even find a short story from me and one from another MK!

So, be a missionary every da-ay! (Anyone else know that song??)

Jen 🙂

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy our Much Ado About Missions series – practical resources and methods for teaching children the importance of reaching the unreached.

I may be sharing this with any of these lovely blogs and here:

A Little R &R, Missional Call, Cornerstone Confessions, A Mama’s Story, My Joy-filled Life,

Finding Heaven Today, Wholehearted Home

The Christmas Adventure Box ~ Kid-friendly Advent

December 1, 2013 by stultsmamaof4 22 Comments

The Christmas Adventure Box

~ an easy, kid-friendly advent for the whole family!

*This post makes use of affiliate links. For more information, please visit Being Confident of This’s About page. Thank you for supporting this blog!

My husband and I purposed to combat the commercialism of Christmas and cultivate true Christmas spirit in our home many years ago. We looked for resources to use for our young and growing family.

We invested in Veggietales dvds about the true meaning of Christmas and a kid-friendly nativity set. We participated in Operation Christmas Child, and we worked at local outreach events. We read the Christmas story from the Bible on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.

But we still felt like our children needed to be better educated about why we do some of the traditional things we do at Christmas time. Enter the Christmas Adventure Box – a family Advent activity.

My friend and fellow blogger Lana introduced us to the Christmas Adventure Box, a family advent activity/program that she developed for her own family. The idea of the box is to complete daily (or several times weekly, for us) advent activities to help us remember the Greatest Gift of All, Jesus.

It was an immediate hit with our oldest two boys, especially with the word “adventure” in the title!

I know the last thing we all need during the Christmas season is yet another item for our “lists” of things to do (so please, please don’t feel pressured).

However, this family advent plan takes literally less than an hour to organize and the activities can take as little as five minutes or as long as 20-30 minutes depending on how involved you wish to make it (or how long your four year olds will sit still…)

It really is a simple, but fun way to focus on the reason for the season! 🙂

Update: it’s even easier this year because I’ve added FREE printables that you can attach directly to the items in your box! Just click the link. 🙂

Lana has created a blog specifically for the Christmas Adventure Box which you can find here. If you want a full 25 day advent list, then I recommend visiting her site. It’s very detailed and even has a lesson-plan type of format that would be particularly helpful for those who homeschool, teach children’s church, etc.

However, for our family, I’ve found that it’s less stressful to schedule only a few nights a week of kid-friendly advent activity. So with permission, I’ve modified the Christmas Adventure Box to fit our schedule and even added in a few items that were important to us, such as spending one day on global missions.

That’s the beauty of this family advent activity – you can tailor it to fit the needs or even the traditions of your family! 🙂

Here’s how to get started:
Choose which activities you’ll be using (from the list below or from Lana’s site) for your family advent and wrap the according items. Don’t forget to download and print the cards to attach to each item! Put all of the items into a large box (The Christmas Adventure Box) and wrap it as well. Each day that you plan to use the Christmas Adventure Box, you’ll unwrap one (0r more) of the items and complete that day’s devotional/activity.

The Greatest Gift – read John 3:16 – unwrap the Christmas Adventure Box.

This will be the first activity on the advent list because it sets up the whole idea of the Christmas Adventure Box. However, once you’ve completed this day, you can do any of the following days in whichever order you choose.

First, bring out the large, wrapped Christmas Adventure Box. Explain to your children that you will be unwrapping an item a few times a week in order to learn more about Jesus this Christmas season.

Read John 3:16 and talk about how Jesus is the greatest gift of all. You can also read prophecies from Isaiah about the Promised Deliverer. Feel free to share the full gospel with your children and pray together as a family.

Joseph and Mary – read Luke 1:30-33 – unwrap Joseph and Mary from your nativity set.

We purchased a fisher price little people nativity set several years ago when our twins were born, which makes it easier to let them “play” with the figures. If you have littles in the house, be sure to choose a non-breakable set to work with.

On this day, you’ll read the story of Jesus’ parents learning that Mary was with child! Discuss the prophecies fulfilled by Mary and Joseph found in Isaiah 9:7 and Isaiah 7:14. Talk about promises God has kept for your family and pray together.

Baby Jesus – read Luke 2:6-7 – unwrap the baby Jesus figure from your nativity set.

Today you can discuss once again that Jesus was a gift, not only to His parents, but to the whole world. Talk about the birth stories of each one of your children – how you planned for them, waited for them, and the joy of experiencing their birth.

Ask your children to find similarities and differences between their births and Jesus’ birth. Pray together as a family, thanking Him for each family member and most of all, for the gift of a Savior.

Shepherds and Angels – read Luke 2:8-20 – unwrap the shepherd and angel figures from your nativity set.

Discuss a time when your family had exciting news to share. Think about how the angels and shepherds must have felt sharing such important news.

Talk about how important it is that we continue to share the story of Jesus with anyone who hasn’t yet heard and pray together, especially for any unsaved relatives or friends.

The Wise Men – read Mt. 2:1-2, 10-11 – unwrap the wise men from your nativity set.

Talk about how the wise men had never heard about a Savior being born, but they still knew to follow the star. Discuss the ways that God reveals himself to us today. Pray together as a family that your knowledge of God’s ways would increase.

Light of the World – read Mt. 5:14-16 – unwrap a notecard that says “Christmas Adventure!” on it.

Discuss light and dark. Ask your children how Jesus is the Light of the World. Then, pile everyone into your vehicle and go on an adventure to see some Christmas lights! (You can continue discussion as you travel). Be sure to pray together as a family.

*I try to schedule this night on a weekend so that we can allow the children to have sleepover by the Christmas tree. It’s one of our boys’ favorite traditions.

Legend of the Candy Cane – read Isaiah 53:5 – unwrap a candy cane.

Read your children a brief version of the legend of the candy cane and discuss why we use them in our Christmas decorations. And yes, Pray together.

Joy to the World – read Mt. 28:19-20 – unwrap a small globe or picture of the world.

Tell your children about things we have in America that help us to know who God is (a Bible in our own language, churches we can attend, freedom of religion, etc.). Discuss how other countries may or may not have these items. Explain the importance of reaching the whole world with the Good News about the Greatest Gift.

Pray as a family for most unreached people groups of the world (if you need an easy way to pray for the most unreached peoples, use the T.H.U.M.B. method here.)

The Legend of Saint Nicholas – read Gal. 2:10 – unwrap socks or a stocking.

Read a brief version of the Legend of Saint Nicholas to your children. Talk about ways your family can pass on the gift of Christmas to others by being generous. Watch the Veggietales video, Saint Nicholas: The Joy of Giving. (Hint: many Veggietales videos can be found on Netflix. No need to purchase!)

Pray together for a generous spirit during this season rather than a coveting spirit. *This would be the perfect place to include a service project such as Operation Christmas Child or serving at a local soup kitchen.

Christmas Caroling – read Rev. 5:12 – unwrap a note that reads “Christmas Adventure!”

Talk about the importance of singing God’s praises. Take the whole family for an adventure in Christmas caroling and spread some cheer to your neighbors or even shut-ins from your church. Local nursing homes usually welcome carolers, as well!

Pray together as a family.

The Baker’s Hand – read Isaiah 64:8 – unwrap cookie cutters.

Make and decorate sugar cookies (if you have small or impatient children as I do, it’s a good idea to make the dough ahead of time).

While you are working, discuss how God shapes us according to His purposes and how we are each uniquely created and uniquely gifted by Him. Pray as a family, asking the Lord to help each one remember that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas – read Thessalonians 2:15-16 – unwrap a nativity story dvd or a “Christmas Adventure!” notecard.

We have two different takes on this day’s advent activity. In the past we have used one or the other, or sometimes both! The first is to watch a dvd about the Christmas story, such as The Nativity Story. The second is to attend a local candlelight service, if you have one near you.

Both options will work to help you review what you have learned throughout the month of December and to celebrate this special evening. Our family also has a tradition of an evening meal of summer sausage, crackers, cheese, and hot cocoa.

I know it sounds weird, but most of those items were obtainable when we lived in Papua New Guinea during my MK years. I have such fond memories of making the most of Christmas in a tropical country that we decided to continue it once we were married. 🙂

Christmas Day – read Luke 2:1-20 and unwrap a Bible

(Shhh – don’t tell, but this year we plan to get preschool Bibles as gifts for our twins!).

Read the Christmas story together. Today, enjoy family and gift-giving and fun all within the context of celebrating Jesus’ birthday! 🙂

That’s it!

The Christmas Adventure Box is a simple, kid-friendly advent activity to emphasize Christ in your home this Christmas season.

The best part? It doesn’t cost a dime! Just pick the days you wish to use or even add a few of your own, wrap up the necessary items, and you are ready to go.

Remember, I’ve only included my favorites here, so if you want a full list, visit Lana’s site. Don’t forget to print out the free printables!

Enjoy!

Jen 🙂

Also sharing with: Beauty Through Imperfection, Missional Call, Mom’s The Word, Wholehearted Wednesdays

Missionary Kid

November 1, 2013 by stultsmamaof4 1 Comment

Today I’m honored to be guest posting for a series on Missions (Answer the Call) over at A Little R &R! Rosilind asked me to write on what it’s like to be an MK. It was probably one of the more difficult posts I’ve written because it brought up so many different emotions! Here’s a little snippet from the beginning of the post:

The question of where I am from has to be the most difficult question to answer when I meet new people. I’m an MK, missionary kid. I’ve lived in Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and even overseas in Papua New Guinea. I’ve left a little piece of my heart in each of these places, so deciding which to call my “home” is impossible!

The truth is that being an MK is sometimes difficult…

To read more, hop on over to Rosilind’s blog here.

Much Ado about Missions: Praying T.H.U.M.B.

July 29, 2013 by stultsmamaof4 7 Comments

We’ve reached the third and final week of our Much Ado about Missions series – helping you develop a missions mindset in your home! If you missed the Introduction to this series, you can view it here. Also, if you need to catch up, you can find all of the posts listed under the weekly wrap-ups: Week 1 (teaching missions in the home) or Week 2 (missions experiences for the whole family).

In our third week, we’re focusing on praying for the Nations.

I don’t know about you, but I often pray for unsaved friends and family members. And since my husband is a pastor, I usually remember to pray for the unsaved in our local community. I also pray for our missionary friends and those we support.

However, one thing I seldom remember to do is pray for the most unreached people groups of the world!

Today I’m going to share with you the T.H.U.M.B. method, borrowed (with permission) from some new missionary friends. The T.H.U.M.B. method is unique because it focuses on praying for the largest unreached people groups according to specific prayer points based on the spiritual beliefs of those groups.

One important distinction to make is that unreached people groups aren’t simply unsaved people.

Unsaved people will always exist on earth until the end of time. However, the Bible is clear that all nations must be reached with the gospel before Christ will return. Unreached people groups are those who have literally no gospel presence. It’s not just that they are unsaved, but that they also have absolutely no opportunity to learn of salvation!

Just think of it : whole generations of men, women, and children are being born, living, and dying without ever hearing of God’s provision in the form of Jesus.

As a follower of Christ, I would like to be more intentional about praying for these unreached peoples, that they might have the opportunity to hear the Good News for God’s glory! I want my children to learn by my example, too. Our plan is to use the T.H.U.M.B. method and pray for one group each day of the week, Monday through Friday.

One apsect of praying T.H.U.M.B. that I love most is that it is so easy to remember!

The Praying T.H.U.M.B.

a strategy for praying for the unreached people groups of the world

T – Tribal groups – as you might imagine, these are people who live in remote locations, some only reachable by helicopter or boat or weeks of hiking. They have their own languages, cultures, and spiritual beliefs. Many tribal people live in fear of upsetting the spirits, beings they believe are responsible for the health of family members, the growth of crops, and so forth. So, when bad things happen, it’s because the spirits are unhappy and must be appeased. Often these beliefs lead to tragedies such as witch trials, ritualistic deaths, beatings and other brutality. These people live in oppressive spiritual darkness.

H – Hindus – Hindus worship many, many gods. Therefore, one of the challenges missionaries and believers face in sharing the gospel with Hindus is differentiating between their gods and the One True God. Sadly, Jesus can easily become just one more god that they add on.

U – Unbelievers in China – they cheated a little on this one to fit the acronym. 🙂 The unbelieving in China are over a billion strong! One of the unique challenges faced by missionaries to this particular unreached people group is that because of the communist government, believers must be careful about how they share their faith. China is not fully open to missionaries, so many believers enter as teachers, businessmen and women, and so forth. They work jobs while also trying to learn Chinese and develop discipling relationships with others.

M – Muslims – the Islam religion is spreading world-wide. Muslims believe in only one god, Allah, but they believe that Jesus was merely a prophet, like so many other prophets. The Islam faith rests on the pillars of Islam, many of which are based on “good works.” Like China, many parts of the Muslim world are still completely closed off to missionary presence.

B – Buddhists – There are various forms of Buddhism, but most Buddhists do not believe in a god or gods. They do, however, follow the teachings of a man named Buddha, who emphasized the need to understand self and the world in a more “enlightened” way. While I don’t understand all of the Buddhist beliefs and practices, I do know that much of it is based on personal efforts. Thus, the need for a Savior is a foreign concept.

For more information on the T.H.U.M.B. technique and its specific praying points, please visit Beyond the Bullingtons – the Bullington’s are nearing the end of their training to be church-planting missionaries with New Tribes Mission.

Why not make praying T.H.U.M.B. part of your daily or weekly prayer routine?

As your children, or even grandchildren, grow old enough to understand, you can teach them this acronym so that they might pray for the largest unreached people groups alongside you.

You might even consider praying for a different unreached group at a certain time of day, such as a mealtime or bedtime. The acronym is easy to remember, so why not connect it to an easy-to-remember time of day?

As I mentioned in the introduction to the Much Ado About Missions series, nearly a third of the world’s total population remains unreached. Praying is one way that we can all do our part!

How can you use the T.H.U.M.B. method in your home?

Jen : )

Get your FREE copy of Praying T.H.U.M.B. printable by clicking here!

Much Ado about Missions: Week 2 Wrap-up

July 26, 2013 by stultsmamaof4 2 Comments

We’ve reached the end of week 2 of our Much Ado about Missions blog-hop series, and I can’t believe how quickly it has gone! If you missed the Introduction, be sure to read it, and if you missed Week 1, all about teaching missions in the home, you can find the links here.

This week we focused less on what to do within the home and more on missional experiences your family can participate in within your community and even the world. We choose to be intentional about making the most of such opportunities so that our children will develop God’s heart for the nations. In case you missed any of this week’s posts, I’ll share them here. I shared about missions experiences for the whole family in The Missions Experience. Sarah shared about making the most of holidays with Holidays and a Higher Purpose. Angie shared about involving your children in reaching your community in Get the Kids Involved.

In week 3, we’ll focus on the power of prayer! You can find Monday’s post right here at Being Confident of This, Wednesday’s post at Love Notes, and Friday’s post at My Four Monkeys.

Thanks for joining us in our endeavor to become more missions minded in our homes and families. I hope you have found inspiration to do the same in your own homes, whatever your “family” might look like. 🙂

In the meantime, consider what some of the most unreached peoples (now reached, Praise the Lord!) have to say about reaching the lost:

Does your heart hurt, too?

Jen 🙂

Much Ado about Missions: The Experience

July 22, 2013 by stultsmamaof4 11 Comments

Welcome to Week 2 of our Much Ado about Missions blog-hop series! If you’re joining us for the first time, in the first week we zeroed in on the need for emphasizing global missions and how we can accomplish that even within our homes. Be sure to stop by our Week 1 wrap-up for informative posts on the best resources for missional families, fun crafts on how to introduce your kids to missions, and the missional M&Ms.

While we discussed impacting our homes in week one, this week we’ll be discussing how to impact our communities and even our world through missions experiences and outreach opportunities for you and your family.

If you’ve been following this blog, you know that my husband is a minister in a small country town. So, by nature of his job, our family experiences a lot of community outreach through our church and even aside from the church.

However, we also want our family to be involved in things that have an impact beyond our community.

As Christian parents, we want to be mindful of the needs in that great big world out there and have the Lord’s heart for the nations. I listened to a sermon recently given by a missionary who said that he drove a single mile to the church he was speaking at that morning and passed 3 churches on the way! Yet in an unreached people group in China that is 15 million strong, not a single church exists. Not. One.

So, I’m going to start out the week by challenging you to leave the comfort of your own home, your own city, your own state and try something as a family that could potentially change many lives.

My husband and I want our children to understand the importance of global missions as much as they understand community service and outreach, and that requires us to stretch beyond what is comfortable.

Experiencing firsthand is so much more powerful than just hearing about it from missionaries who come to speak at church or, for my family, from your former MK wife/mother. 🙂 So, we’ve put together a very brief list of experiences that could benefit the whole family.

4 Missions Experiences for Your Family

1. Church missions trips – If your church is offering a missions trip experience, this would be the perfect way for you, and possibly your family, to experience and serve alongside a missionary that your church is already connected with (whether in the states or abroad).

While heading into unfamiliar territory, you would at least have the comfort of travelling and experiencing right alongside other members of your church. This type of trip helps you to better understand the need as well as the missionaries you help support.

2. Wayumi – if leaving your home country to serve in a remote location scares the pants off of you, or just isn’t possible for medical reasons, etc., why not start with a missions experiences available right here in America through New Tribes Mission? (Update: New Tribes Mission has rebranded and is now Ethnos 360) You can spend anywhere from 1 day to a week at Wayumi, a center located in Pennsylvania, and be exposed to other cultures, the trials of language study, and so forth.

Although the experience offers very realistic replications of tribal huts, tribal foods, and so on, some modern conveniences are still available. It’s a way to learn about missions and perhaps even stretch yourself and your family a bit, but the cost is significantly less than an overseas trip.

3. Serve with New Tribes Mission (NTM) – http://usa.ntm.org/go – (Update: New Tribes Mission has rebranded and is now Ethnos 360) this non-denominational missions organization that focuses on church planting along with scripture translation offers a variety of opportunities for families and even college students. Short term, service-based trips last anywhere from 2-4 weeks, while longer stays of a year are necessary for associate workers who go to fill an immediate need.

College students can even earn credits through the Interface internship program in Papua New Guinea.

Most importantly, this organization is always searching for teachers who would be willing to serve for 1-2 years in their overseas schools! Many missionary children (such as myself as an MK) attend boarding school at a central base so that their parents can focus on language learning without the added responsibility of homeschooling (although many do homeschool through elementary grades). One way for those with teaching experience to help spread the gospel to the unreached is to serve by teaching missionary kids.

4. World Changers – http://www.lifeway.com/worldchangers/index.php/about/ – is a program for youth through college-age students. These trips usually take place in the summer months, when groups travel to specific cities to complete community service projects. In the past, some groups have gone to inner city ministries, disaster areas for restoration projects, etc.

This is not your everyday community service. Students complete bible study/training beforehand, including learning how to use evangelistic tools. If you have or know a youth, this program is an excellent way to teach them how to be someone who changes the world!

These are just a very few of the multitude of opportunities to serve your world beyond your neighborhood, your town, your state, even your country!

What can your family do to stretch and grow beyond what is normal and familiar to you?

How might you consider helping to reach the most unreached peoples of the Earth, the third of our world population who currently have no hope?

I know that God asks believers to fill a variety of roles in the Body, of which missions is only one. But I also know that God’s heart is for all nations, not just the one we live in.

I read another missionary comment recently that said what is most needed is not more money. He reminded us, “Jesus is the fishes and loaves guy.” What is needed is those who will be willing to advocate for the most unreached people groups and those who will be willing to answer the call of “Whom can I send?”

As I mentioned in the Introduction of this blog-hop, I don’t have all of the answers, even for our family. However, I do believe it is something that all Christians should prayerfully consider.

How will you respond?

Jen 🙂

If you know of another firsthand missions experience opportunity, please feel free to share with the readers in the comments!

Want to learn more about the value of a firsthand missions experience for teens? Read here:
http://www.wordslingersok.com/2013/07/7-reasons-teens-need-to-go-on-short-term-mission-trips-2/

Much Ado about Missions: Week One Wrap-up

July 19, 2013 by stultsmamaof4 1 Comment

We have the final post in our Much Ado about Missions blog-hop live now, so I thought I would put all of the posts together here on a summary page for easy access. If you are new to the blog-hop, please be sure to start with the introduction. It contains important information that all believers should be aware of, and it explains the heart behind this blog-hop. 🙂

Much Ado about Missions Week One:

Introduction – they why behind it all

8 Resources for Teaching Missions in the Home

The Missional M&Ms

Teaching Missions with Crafts

In week two, we’ll be discussing ideas for experiencing missions and serving outside of the home, so stay tuned! Monday’s post can be found at Being Confident of this, Wednesday’s post can be found at Love Notes, and Friday’s post at My Four Monkeys.

Thank you for joining us in making missions a priority!

Jen 🙂

Much Ado about Missions: 8 Resources for Teaching Missions

July 15, 2013 by stultsmamaof4 27 Comments

As I mentioned in my last post, Global Missions has really been on my mind and heart recently, so I’ve joined forces with two amazing bloggers to do a series of posts on developing a missions mindset within the home.

This week our focus is on ways to teach or emphasize missions in our own homes.

When I began researching for materials on missions to use with our four children (ages 4 through 13) in the home, I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of options available! I’ve compiled a list of favorite finds to share with you all.

8 Resources for Teaching Missions to Kids

*This post makes use of affiliate links. For more information, please visit Being Confident of This’s About page. Thank you for supporting the ministry of this site!

1. Growing Up Wild DVD series –is about a family of missionaries living in a tribe in Indonesian Guinea. This DVD series is unique because the missionary children are the ones narrating and introducing topics rather than the adults.

The Wild brothers even have their own blog! So far, we have only watched the video clips available on the website, but we plan to purchase or borrow a DVD or two from this series. This method of teaching missions works well for antsy learners. 🙂

2. Caravan Friends website – is about the peoples of Asia – a country in the most unreached sector of the world. I love this website for teaching missions, and so did my four children (ages four to thirteen)! It is colorful and aesthetically pleasing. The characters they have created help teach children about different areas of Asia, and my children really connected with them.

The videos were interesting to watch and after watching one only twice, my seven-year old was spouting off facts about the people groups there. The stories are easy to read and not too long. In fact, I had our seven-year old read several to his younger siblings and he was able.

The website also includes resources for parents and teachers who are teaching missions, such as printables, coloring pages, and other suggested activities (seriously, check out the activities tab for some amazing ideas), etc. This would be the perfect site for someone wanting to lead a class on Missions for children, for a free homeschool curriculum resource, or for Children’s Church, Sunday School, AWANA, Vacation Bible School, etc.
3. Trailblazer Books by Dave and Neta Jackson – we just discovered this series of books and so far, the kiddos love them, even our thirteen-year-old son! 🙂 This series doesn’t solely focus on missionaries, but also on other Heroes of the Faith, such as Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther, etc. Each biography is told from the point of a young, fictional narrator.

Right now we are nearly finished with the Samuel Morris story, and we have requests to read more of it nearly every day. It’s one book that I have actually been tempted to read more of on my own, even! Our four-year-old twins will usually only sit for one chapter at a time, but older children could easily read several chapters. I was happy to find that amazon carries used copies of volumes that contain 5 stories each! We bought several volumes for less than $20. The volume pictured below features Harriet Tubman, but it also has 4 other biographies in it. 🙂

4. Kids on Mission website – this website is put out by the International Missions Board of the Southern Baptist denomination. Kids on Mission offers a subscription that will provide you with a quarterly release on DVD. However, according to the website, if you are willing to download the files from the internet directly, you can access them for free! Under the prayer tab, there are even prayer requests from missionary kids themselves. What a unique resource for teaching missions. 🙂

5. New Tribes Mission – is the organization that my parents worked through as missionaries to Papua New Guinea (PNG). On their website you will find individual missionary pages and newsletters, as well as general information. While this website is designed for adults rather than children, I included it because they often upload new videos from various tribes around the world. I know my children enjoy seeing what it’s really like on the mission field or hearing about missions from tribal people themselves.

*One note of caution: not all stories are appropriate for all ages. Be sure to preview the videos before showing them to your children. Also, NTM publishes a magazine full of brief missionary stories that we often read to our children. This resource, NTM@Work, is completely free. All that is required of you is to go to the website to sign up for it! 🙂

6. Torchlighter DVD series – is very similar to the Trailblazer books in that it focuses on missionaries and other heroes of the Faith, but in a dvd format rather than a book format. This series features people like Corrie Ten Boom, Augustine, and others who help spread the Good News.

Our kids’ favorites so far are the Amy Carmichael story and the Jim Elliot story. Each animated feature is about 30 minutes in length. What better way to learn about missions than to hear the biographies of those who suffered for the faith, but impacted the world because of it! 🙂

7. Windows on the World – is a curriculum that focuses on specific people groups, and their culture and beliefs. Some of the information is factual in nature, but there are also stories about the people who live there and ways for children to pray for that particular group. This is an amazing resources for teaching missions with a global perspective.

8. Missionary Stories With the Millers – This book of short stories about real life events that missionaries have experienced was recommended to me by a friend and is on our wishlist! These stories are shorter in nature and would be easier for younger children to sit and listen to.

As I shared previously, I sometimes struggle with the question of “Am I doing enough?”

But I know that this is a good start, to teach my children of the great need. (It doesn’t hurt for me to learn more about the various people groups in need, either!)

Who knows?

We could be raising the next generation of missionaries right within our own homes!

The next post in the bloghop can be found over at Love Notes . Sarah shared more about engaging our children’s hearts in missions in Missional M&Ms!

If you have a tried and true resource for teaching Missions at home, would you please share with us in the comments? Thanks!

Jen 🙂

Also sharing this post with: Hive Resources, Grace and Truth

*This post makes use of affiliate links. For more information, please visit Being Confident of This’s About page. Thank you for supporting this blog!