If you haven’t heard of David Sitton or the work of To Every Tribe Ministries, do yourself a favor and pick up David’s new book, Reckless Abandon: A Modern-Day Gospel Pioneer’s Exploits Among the Most Difficult to Reach Peoples.
There are a lot of amazing stories in the book, but the chapter from David’s wife on the mundane aspects of missionary life was one of my favorite. After talking about the trials of learning a language, adapting to a new culture, finding the right balance between compassion and creating dependency, setting boundaries with our personal life and still caring for people, and handling the “fish bowl” experience of being rich white people in a strange land, Tommi Sitton offers this advice on how to pray for missionaries:
When people ask me how to pray for missionaries, I tell them they need to be remembered daily, because these kinds of stresses are everyday realities. Pray for the big things: that the gospel will advance through their efforts; that they will be sustained through loneliness; that the Lord will provide financial partnerships; and that He will protect them from illness and those who would do them harm. But also remember to pray for the everyday things: transportation to the market, strength to do tasks such as washing clothes and making meals, finding correct boundaries in relation to possessions and privacy, and enduring the stress of long periods of separation. Pray for the Lord to sustain their relationship with Him and with one another. And, particularly, pray for their children. (64-65)
Read the whole book. And pray for your missionaries.
