As I have shared about what God has done and is doing in my heart since becoming a mother, one of the questions and burdens on my heart is the subject of missions.
How can I help my children to have a heart for the lost?
How can we, as a family, do “missions” from our own home?
How can we make missions a priority in our lives and homeschool?
Obviously I do not have grown children yet. So, only God knows the fruits that will result from the home we have created here. (bumps, bruises and all!) I have come to understand that I can only do what I can do. 🙂 We don’t live in a hut in Africa ministering to the tribal people. But can’t we be missionaries from wherever we live? So, we do what we can from our own home.
So, for today…I share, I pray, I read, I go. And my children are along for the ride. As I minister to the lost, my prayer is that my children will grow hearts of compassion for the lost as well.
In our home, some of the ways I am prayerfully instilling a heart for missions:
- reading lots of missionary biographies
- learning about other countries
- praying daily for our sponsored children and the hurting around the world (what is happening in the news? PRAY with your children about this!!)
- sponsor a child! (or two!)
- purchase chickens, sheep or milk for children/families around the world in need!
- learning about the countries where our sponsored children live (for us that is Uganda and Belize!)
- hanging pictures of our sponsored children around the home
- write letters to your sponsored children
- read the Compassion kids magazine together!
- hang maps & use them often!
- praying for missionaries from our church
- put a simple rice bowl on your kitchen table and feed hungry children!
- praying for mission teams on trips
- serving the homeless (other other outreaches) with our children
- take treats to neighbors
- I continue going on mission trips as the Lord allows…praying for my children to go someday soon with me!!
- memorize scriptures together about GOING and TELLING
As I pray for my children about their futures, I also must remind myself that here. right here. is a mission field unique unto me. My home, my children are my own unique mission field. I can’t forget that my children need Jesus, too!!
It’s a fine balance, one that I admittedly do not feel qualified to preach about. 🙂 Our calling as mothers is to our children, yes. It’s a big calling. Our calling to God is to the world. It’s a big calling. I can only share one day at a time…wherever He has called me to be for that day, be that my home, Belize or southeast Asia. I can only do it in His strength and by His grace.
I shared about this book here on my blog. There are lots of great ideas in this book and it has been very inspiring!
I love these posts from Tonia on “staying” and the mission field of today.
More Motherhood posts:
Motherhood: A Humble Calling
Motherhood: Lessons in Simple Joys
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