How can I help during times of political upheaval or natural disaster?
Stay informed.
Volunteer to help if the need arises.
Pray and develop a team who will pray.
Be generous in your giving.
Don't insist on regular contact with your missionary but connect with them through mwbm.org If missionaries have had to be evacuated from crisis situations, provide a healing community.
If re-deployment is necessary, provide financial support, prayer support, encouragement and input.
How can I help a missionary during time of personal crisis?
Provide a safe place to debrief and to seek prayer and emotional support.
Be concerned and pray but don't pry.
Give the missionary emotional and physical space if needed.
Offer pastoral and member care when requested.
Continue to contribute financially or provide for emergencies with one time gifts.
Write notes of encouragement are appreciated.
Partner with the sending agency to provide maximum care for the missionary.
When your missionary is on home assignment, his family's transition will be easier if you:
Befriend them.
Show interest in their ministry and overseas life.
Include them in social activities
Host a gathering for them to give ministry update or just to introduce them to the church family.
Offer vacation possibilities.
Care for family needs like babysitting, loaning a car, providing car maintenance, grocery shopping, and communication support.
Introduce the children to children their age.
Provide them with a cultural update on trends, US & local news and fashions.
Provide them with orientation to the community like the grocery store, hospital, and local schools.
 

15 THINGS EVERY MISSIONARY NEEDS
Specific guidelines to assist in praying for your missionary

Do you sometimes seem to "get stuck" when praying for missionaries? Are you frustrated because your prayers seem general or shallow? If so, here are some specific things you can pray for when you are interceding for missionaries.

Love for God
Overworked missionaries can become service-oriented rather than love-oriented. Pray that your missionaries' love for the Lord will deepen, and that love for him will always be their prime motivation for service.

Love for Others
Yes, missionaries are human, and just like you, sometimes they have trouble showing love and respect to those "difficult to love" people-either their missionary coworkers or nationals. Pray that the Lord will make your missionaries' love "increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else" (1 Thessalonians 3:12).

A Deeper Relationship with God
Missionaries' schedules can become so packed that they might skip or skimp on their time with the Lord. Pray that your missionaries would follow Jesus'
example. It's hard to imagine any missionary having a busier life that he did, yet he consistently sought out time alone to commune with his Father.

Spirit-Controlled Lives
Just like the rest of us, sometimes missionaries have a tendency to do the Lord's work in their own energy and human ingenuity. Pray that all of your missionaries' actions will be under the control, and by the power of, the Holy Spirit.

The Fruit of the Spirit
As you pray that your missionaries will be under the control of the Holy Spirit, pray that the fruit of the Spirit-the very beauty of Jesus-will be manifest in their lives.

Wisdom and Knowledge
Strong-willed missionaries often come into conflict when two or more of them have opposing viewpoints. Pray that missionaries will have the wisdom of God, which James describes as "first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere" (James 3:17).

Courage
Imagine your missionaries making the same prayer request Paul did in Ephesians 6:19: "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel."

Receptive Hearts
Pray for divine providence, that the Lord will lead your missionaries to people whose hearts will be open to hearing and receiving the gospel message.

Disciples
Pray that your missionaries will experience the joy of leading others to salvation, and of "teaching them to obey everything [Christ] commanded"
(Matthew 28:20).

Strong Faith
The apostles once made a direct request of Jesus: "Increase our faith!" Pray that your missionaries will have great faith that will lead them to ask great things of our Lord.

Steadfastness
Pray that your missionaries will follow Paul's advice to the Corinthians:
"Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Strong Family
Cross-cultural living can magnify even small family conflicts. Pray that members of missionary families will be drawn together, not torn apart, by living in a new culture.

Protection
Missionaries are prime targets of the enemy. Join Jesus in praying to the
Father: "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one" (John 17:15).

Material Needs
Missionaries often face harsh living conditions, and may have to struggle to meet basic physical needs. Pray that the Lord will supply all their financial and material needs "according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

Health and Strength
In today's increasingly violent world, missionaries face not only sickness, they may also be victims of crime, civil unrest or political upheaval. Pray that the Lord will grant the measure of health and strength that will bring his greatest glory and the greatest good for the missionaries.
The next time you sit down to pray for your missionaries, use this list as a guide to help you pray specifically. And pray for your missionaries consistently. They need you, and the Lord needs you to help fulfill his Great Commission. Your prayers count!

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF MISSIONARY KIDS

MKs are kids whose dads and moms serve as cross cultural missionaries. They are normal kids who are neither growing up strictly in their parents'
culture nor are they growing up exclusively in the culture of the country where they live. As a result, their lives are being shaped by both their parents' culture and their host culture; this forms a different, third culture. That's why MKs are often called TCKs (Third Culture Kids). Are they normal? Certainly! MKs grow up in extraordinary environments that impact their lives - and we trust that they, too, will impact others for Christ.
Build a relationship.
MKs are kids with a lot of adults in their lives. It's unrealistic to expect them to know you when your involvement in their lives is limited to once every five years. Be consistent in communicating with them and their families. Visit them overseas when you have a chance, exchange pictures, send the Sunday comics, be involved.

Be informed.
Communicating with someone who makes an effort to know basic facts about your life and your country is much more enjoyable than talking with someone who merely makes assumptions. The more informed you are, the better your questions and comments will be. Learn more about TCKs and their world; they have a unique set of experiences, skills and worldview.
Meet felt needs.
Getting to know MKs will help you know how best to help them in ways that are meaningful to them. International calling cards, a home away from home, a gift card, or a subscription to a magazine especially for TCKs such as "Among Worlds" all make great gifts for MKs.

Help them transition.
MK life is filled with transition. You can help make the transitions easier.
Remember that coming to the States is probably not coming home for them.
They are "constant immigrants" with the ability to make unique contributions. As immigrants, they often find the "normal" overwhelming and the "extraordinary" usual. Introduce them to peers and mentors, serve as a liaison between the MK and their new school. Give the MK room to observe and make decisions before jumping in to an activity or a group.

Pray.
Pray for their health; their part in their parents' ministries; their adjustments to new places, schools and ideas; their spiritual and emotional growth.