Prayer Calendar March 26-31,2017

Pray for volunteers who are serving short-term on mission fields around the world. p.14

Is Fulfilling Your Part in the Great Commission Worth It?

Nathan Schmidt, Missionary, Bolivia
The Call, January-March 2017

I admit, there are times I have wondered if it truly is worth it to serve the Lord as a career missionary. When I sleep on a hard church bench at night in an adobe church building in Bolivia, is it worth it? When I travel by bus on the dangerous mountain roads, is it worth it? When I eat foods that I am not accustomed to, is it worth it? To live so far from family, is it worth it? When I get sick due to the water, is it worth it?

But when I hear people respond to God’s Word and call out to Him around a church altar, it is worth it! When I hear a young man and his girlfriend pray the sinner’s prayer with me, it is worth it! When I see a new church form in the mountains of Bolivia, it is worth it!

When I see a wayward pastor’s son come back to Christ, it is worth it! When I see a new believer step into the cold waters of a mountain stream to be baptized, it is worth it! When I see a young man step up and say, “I have been called by God to be a pastor,” it is worth it! When I listen to a pastor share his burdens and am able to pray with him, it is worth it! 

It is worth the cost to be a missionary and a part of fulfilling the Great Commission. Jesus said it this way in Mark 8:36 (ESV): “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

GO: Is God calling you to go? No matter the location or cause or the timeframe you have to serve, there’s a program to fit your calling and your needs. Your obedience is worth it!

CAREER: Serve 2+ years

• Missionary Discipleship Program: Through the MD Program, called individuals can become full-time missionaries.

VOLUNTEER: Serve 1+ weeks to a year

• Missionary Volunteer Partners:  Adults, age 30 or above, serve side by side with missionaries and nationals, partnering with established ministries and helping with new outreaches.
• Volunteers In Action: Individuals or couples, age 19-29, will get a taste of missionary life in a cross-cultural setting and in virtually any type of ministry.
• Teams: Teams are custom fit—work, college, youth, family, prayer—so there’s no end to the ways you and your group can minister. 

Prayer Calendar March 19-25,2017

Coming tomorrow on The Call blog:

"I admit, there are times I have wondered if it truly is worth it to serve the Lord as a career missionary. When I sleep on a hard church bench at night in an adobe church building in Bolivia, is it worth it? When I travel by bus on the dangerous mountain roads, is it worth it? When I eat foods that I am not accustomed to, is it worth it? To live so far from family, is it worth it? When I get sick due to the water, is it worth it?"

"But when I hear people respond to God’s Word and call out to Him around a church altar, it is worth it!"

Praise God for His strength and wisdom that enable us to follow Him - even through hard times. p.8

Is Giving Up the American Dream Worth It?

Steve Solheim, Missionary, Honduras
The Call, January-March 2017

Ah, the good ol’ American dream. There we were in our little house with our little family and our little dog. We were well on our way in our careers and livin’ the dream. What more could we want as we sang: “Our house, in the middle of our street”? We had two cars in the driveway, and we’d just completed our deck—the biggest one on the block, mind you. Yes, we were doing our best to keep up with the Joneses.

I started my career in the military and worked my way into a great position managing the battalion helpdesk. After I left the Marines, I landed a contract job in the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Wow, I thought, these people are paying me to do what I love. How lucky can I get? For the next several years I bounced around from contract to contract, trying to land my dream job.

After 15 years I finally started my job as a systems engineer doing software deployment. But, there was one tiny problem with my dream job—I hated it. You see, I started out serving my country in the Marines. Then, I worked at various positions helping people with their computer problems. And now, I was stuck in an isolated corner way back in the IT department with no contact with the people I was there to help.

Meanwhile, we had just switched to a new church with a great youth program. Unbeknownst to us, it also had a great missions program. Through a series of well-orchestrated moves by God, we went on a two-week work team and a year-long volunteer assignment followed by a complete career change to honor and follow Him in Honduras. I was using my spiritual gifts of Helper and Service again as well as one I was completely unaware of: Faith.

With the extreme cut in income that we took going to the mission field, we thought we wouldn’t be able to do all the things we loved to do and that we would never be able to do the things we always dreamed of doing. That was a lie. For everything that we gave up, God has blessed us with more opportunities and even given us the opportunity to do things that we never even dreamed possible when we were trapped in the American dream.

ACT: This month, hide the words of 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 in your heart. Memorize this passage as a reminder for your missions journey.

Prayer Calendar March 12-18,2017

Coming tomorrow on The Call blog:

"Ah, the good ol’ American dream. There we were in our little house with our little family and our little dog. We were well on our way in our careers and livin’ the dream. What more could we want..."

Pray for steve and Kelly Solheim as they serve God in Honduras. p.4.

Is It Worth It to Be Seed Planters?

John Kunkle, Missionary, Texas/Mexico Border Ministries
The Call, January-March 2017

Here on the Texas/Mexico border, we think of ourselves as “seed planters.” Sometimes all we have is a few moments to plant the seeds of the gospel in a person’s heart. We are thankful for the sowers of God’s love whom He has provided to our field. In the past two years, the number of Texas/Mexico Border Ministries staff working with the Hispanic community in McAllen, Texas, has more than doubled. God is moving to reach this area in a fresh new way with the gospel message. Here are some of the challenges we face and stories of the harvest that God is giving us.  

In order to plant the seeds of the gospel of Christ and see results for His kingdom:

1.  The soil must be broken for planting. Betsy Tejeda, acting field director: “One of the most difficult barriers is trust. It takes time and a lot of effort to break down that barrier. Another challenge is how transient our neighbors tend to be. We have learned the turnover in our community is very high, so once trust is built, they often move away and we start all over. This has helped us be very intentional, though, in sharing the gospel when we have the opportunity. We’ve learned it may be the only chance we get. We have reached families with the gospel through both the soccer program and The Sparrow’s Nest. We try to share the gospel at each outreach, even if it’s extremely short. [My husband] Gerson and I sensed the Lord tell us that we are seed planters; He is the One who causes those seeds to grow. Our responsibility is to be obedient to share the gospel when the opportunity is there and pray that the seeds fall on good soil. God is the One who will make those seeds grow and grant a harvest.”

2.  The soil must go deep. Joey Bocook, ministry partner: “The youth need a deeper understanding of who God is and what He wants for their lives. I believe it is necessary when teaching the churched youth that they understand that God loves them regardless of their faults or failures but also desires for them to strive to do their best and give Him 100 percent of their lives. I feel that all teachings to youth need to include a challenge to help them strive to be closer to Jesus.”

3.  The soil must be cultivated. Esther Leininger, missionary disciple and former missionary kid from Bolivia: “Missionary kids struggle with the same question all young people have—Who am I? Finding that answer is very difficult without a Christian community to guide you. God used my parents [Tom and Karen Leininger, formerly with WGM’s Wings of Peace aviation ministry] and church community to help me find my identity in Christ; here at Taylor Christian School, I can help young people learn who they are in Christ, too.”

4.  The soil must be fertilized and nurtured. Debbie McKelvey, missionary: “Currently, I counsel at a local church that has a counseling ministry and am able to refer people here for free marriage therapy. I want to be sensitive to every opportunity to share God’s hope in every situation. It is a joy to share God’s unconditional love to those who feel hopeless because of past sin. I am also blessed to share the healing power of Jesus with those who have been abused, abandoned, or betrayed. People need to know our Savior understands, because He suffered the same things we suffer, and it is by His stripes we are truly healed (Isaiah 53:5).”

Even though the task is not easy, we consider it of high priority to plant the seeds of God’s Word wherever He directs us. Is it worth it in the end when we see the harvest that God has brought to us? Indeed! We are harvesting the crops of many generations of “seed planters” who have come to the border before us, those faithful missionaries who so long ago said “yes” to the call of God. 

GO: Short-term opportunities are a perfect way to help cultivate the soil on the Texas/Mexico border. Apply to be a volunteer at www.wgm.org/serve.

Prayer Calendar March 5-11,2017

Coming tomorrow on The Call blog:

"Here on the Texas/Mexico border, we think of ourselves as “seed planters.” Sometimes all we have is a few moments to plant the seeds of the gospel in a person’s heart. We are thankful for the sowers of God’s love whom He has provided to our field. In the past two years, the number of Texas/Mexico Border Ministries staff working with the Hispanic community in McAllen, Texas, has more than doubled."

Pray for missionaries who are planting seeds of the gospel on the Texas/Mexico border. p.10