We’re back with current need-to-know missions thoughts from around the web.
What I Wish Missions Had Told Me
Remember our posts, What do you wish you’d known before you went? Parts I and II? Some great minds over at A Life Overseas have collaborated for Dear Missions, I Wish You Had Told Me…as well as 7 Questions to Ask during Your First 7 Days on the Field.
And moms, don’t miss their Open Letter to My Younger Missionary Mom Self.
Check it out for great thoughts to help you manage your expectations.
Africa’s Evangelism Challenges–and some in the U.S.
Every continent’s got it’s own, and it’s important to know your obstacles in advance.
Check out The Gospel Coalition’s 4 Challenges to Evangelism on the African Continent, and Lifeway’s 2 Keys to Understanding and Reaching Muslims in North America.
(If you’re headed to Africa, another quick helpful one from Cymbaluk.com, on money in Africa: Immediate Needs Have Priority. Money mindsets affect a great deal of culture, so if you’re interested in this, don’t forget to check out the book African Friends and Money Matters.)
Continuing the Discussion: Rest and Sabbath as a Missionary
This past month, we’ve posted a lot about limitations, Sabbath, rest, and our embracing our own dispensibility.
Hungry for more (especially all you Enneagram 1-3’s)? Don’t miss this oldie-but-a-goodie: What Does it Mean to Practice Sabbath as a Missionary?
What’s Success Look Like in BAM?
Wondering about the end goal in Business as Missions? The BAM Review takes a shot in “What is Success?”
Hands-on Training among the Unreached
Global Frontier Missions still has openings for their August and January Unreached-People-Group training programs in Atlanta, GA and Richmond, VA. You can drink in classroom instruction along with practical hands-on disciple-making experience/mentoring while serving refugees/internationals from UPGs.
Bonus: check out their new SLICE program in India including strategy, language, identity/platform/visa questions, and culture training. (Source: Brigada. Openings may have expired since Brigada’s publication.)
(Don’t miss our Free Printable Infographic: 10 Ways to Pray for Unreached People Groups.)
15 Days of Prayer for the Buddhist World
Maybe you prayed with us for the Muslim World during Ramadan. Ready to lift up the Buddhist world? This site’s got a daily guide (and one in poster form, too) for only 3 bucks.
Want s’more? Check out our entire page of #BestoftheBestFriday: The Best Stuff on Global Work from around the Web.
An addition to the Money in Africa article: Many African have lived through times of economic instability where the value of money for years changed daily. This made nonsense out of the idea of savings. For Africans living in those conditions it taught you that survival depended on immediate spending. What bought four loaves of bread yesterday may not buy more than one bread roll tomorrow. As a missionary before the days of immediate electronic transfer that meant within days of cashing your support check your money was worth 1/4 or likely less. You would buy almost everything you needed for the month immediately, even if it meant walking near the end of the month.
Randy–excellent insight, and sadly, very, very true. Appreciate you sharing this.