Missionaries/Missions

[jer2911mom]

Hi, I am currently using LHFHG with my dc for K and really like it. Last night at church we had a 6 hour bible study called "Secret Church" (done by David Platt in AL) that we've done a few times now (a different study each time). Part of the study is to learn about the persecuted church and those who follow God's call to bring the Gospel to nations where it is so difficult to be a Christian. I am really getting convicted about helping my children learn about missionaries and even local missions work. I was wondering if at any of the other levels of HOD missionaries are studied or there is a missions focus. Thank you!

[daybreaking]

I'm only in Beyond, so I can't speak of how the future HOD guides touch on missions, but what has worked for us has simply been occasionally to read missionary stories to our children. Sometimes my 8yo ds will read the stories on his own, sometimes we'll read them to him at bedtime and most recently, I read some of "Missionary Stories with the Millers" to both children over lunchtime. We'll also had them attend missions conferences with us, where they've heard first hand from actual missionaries. For us, this approach has worked well, as ds has a real heart for missions and praying for missionaries.

[LynnH]

In Preparing you read Hero tales. That opened up some good conversations about missions with my ds. The other thing I have received is a newsletter from Voice of the Martyrs. They have a kids newsletter and a kids section on their website that talks about the persecuted church.

[Tansy]

Warning contains: Shameless Plug
I'm a missionary wife were with Gospel For Asia's Home team. So thank you for taking the time to seriously consider talking to your kids about missions. There is not a huge amount of stuff out there for kids to relate. That so GFA has published a book "When Donkeys Speak" You can find it in the store. It was edited By Heidi and she did a good job scrubbing the stories for younger ears. All the stories in the book are true.

We try to post new stories from the field with lots of pictures. As often as we can. The photographer is on his way home so their will be lots of new stuff coming in the next few weeks.

We also have a kids program called Push the Pedal (under get involved) .

And last but not least Actually in our eyes the most important part of our call... is prayer... Friday 11/5/10 will be the first time Friday night prayer will be streamed via the web for the general public. (goes all night like 3-6 am but I think its only streamed from 7-9pm CST, we only do this once a month) I'm not going to be there I have a Adoption event. Or I'd make them say Hi HOD"ers! But If you are really serious about getting your kids to understand and see missions in action watch it, and Pray! PM me if you want the sign up password thingy. We also stream Tuesday night prayer meetings, but I'm uncertain when those will be open to the general public. You won't have to buy anything just show them missionaries inaction every week.
End Shameless Plug

[mrskturner]

I have a big heart for missions and that has passed on to my daughter, so we are always including missions in our curriculum. We are doing a mission study right now through www.mypassporttoindia.com It is truly amazing! It is completely free also. You get to watch videos of a missionary in India and it is geared toward children. There are extras you can click on each day to read more about India, see pictures, bible study, recipes, ect... This started in October and ends mid November. The videos are short and you can watch them to catch your family up to the most current one. During the journey my kids really feel like we are experiencing the mission trip to India. The kids have been saving change the whole month of October and putting it in their India jar. Every $1 sends TWO kids to Bible Club in India. The kids have saved $17 this month and they are so excited.

For those of you on here who are missionary families...it would be really awesome if you had a blog we could follow. I would love to show my kids, missionary kids using HOD and include your families in our daily prayer time. I think penpals would be a really neat idea also.

[frankesense]

I am a missionary and homeschool mom and my husband and I have been working with Youth With A Mission for 17 years (a blog would be a cool idea but as of now I don't have one). Even though my kids have grown up around missionaries their whole lives, it has taken thought from me as well as to how to get them to see beyond our lives in our own little world. I want them to have a heart for all peoples and cultures and desire to see all people are given the opportunity to know Christ and for them to share Christ with boldness. Because of our human nature, most of these things do not come naturally.

I read missionary stories to my kids. Many different companies and denominations publish their missionaries stories; Wycliff, Voice of the Martyrs, OMF, Youth With A Mission and many more. Their books are pretty easy to find online. "Hero Tales" is another good book but is best when a child is a bit older; some of the stories are more intense. Beth Moore also has two books called "Voices of the Faithful"; a compilation of missionary stories.

We are also involved in at least one missions project each year. We also have done "My Passport to India" as the previous poster told about. Last year we partnered with The Seed Company to raise money to translate the New Testament for a Bibleless people group in Mozambique. The year before we raised money to teach Indian women how to read and write with Mission India.

You can always get your kids involved in missions by recognizing the needs that friends and neighbors have and meeting that need; making a card for someone who is sick, preparing a meal for a family that has just had a new baby, doing yard work for an elderly person or helping out at a soup kitchen or the food bank. We had a team of young kids from our ministry center go to Houston this past summer to work with the street kids and homeless in Houston and they put on a VBS type program for the kids that came to the YMCA each day. Check and see what outreach opportunities there are through your church or send a care package to missionaries that your church sponsors and pray for them regularly.

"A Call to Prayer for the Children, Teens, and Young Adults of the 10/40 Window" is also a wonderful resource that tells about children around the world, what their lives are like and how we can pray for them. This book is available through many different online stores.

Stephanie

[frankesense]

I wanted to tell about this book as a resource as well. But couldn't remember the name when I posted the other day. This book is full of pictures and great photography shots.
Window on the World: When We Pray God Works

[Tansy]

I have that book its so great!! We use it in our kids korner study time. I'd say its a good book for ages 7-12 . We have to dumb it down quiet a bit for the 3-4 year old crowed. I thought it was OOP since I scoured the internet 7 years ago to get 4 copies. and I was only being able to buy 1 or 2 at a time, back then. I just looked it up, seems to have been reissued in paperback. Yippee! but I wonder if they updated the statistics.

I told My hubby today we need to make a iphone app type thing for parents to use with kids, like our missions box app but just for kids..

[ALB]

We are serving in East Asia, and I'll repeat what others have said about being thankful for your interest in cultivating this important perspective in your dc. Just a couple ideas: find out all you can about the m's your home church supports and write to them, sign up for their letters, have them over for a meal when they are stateside. We've actually had individual children sign up to receive our newsletters, and I know the kids enjoy getting their own in the mail. There are a few homeschooling families that have stayed in contact with us over the 7 years we've been here, and we've enjoyed relating to their children and sharing about our work with them on home visits. We always bring lots of special souvenirs to hand out to kids when families have us over for a meal, and other things like local currency to show them. I am sure that any m's your church supports would be thrilled to share a meal with you, or just come by for an hour in an afternoon to share. We realize that future workers are being stirred up now, and that is so important! Anyway, there are lots of ways besides curriculum to give your dc a heart for the world!

[jer2911mom]

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been responding to my questions! I really appreciate all the suggestions and will be praying how we can be a missions-focused family. I plan to incorporate many of the suggestions you have provided. Thank you!!

[Tansy]

Exciting news we are streaming prayer meeting tonight. And Elisabeth Elliot is supposed to be here tonight... wow who knew. Even I had to find out via face book...
You won't want to miss tonight's LIVE prayer service at GFA! Elisabeth Elliot, missionary to the Aucas in Ecuador, along with her husband, Lars Gren, will be here with us. Join us from 7:20-8:50pm CST.

Edit: Ok it was pretty cool to actually meet Elizabeth Eliot. She wanted us to take pictures and really brightened up when the kids came by. She's nonverbal now. But still very much alive. My kids were pretty amazed "Mom she's a real person, that wasn't just a story you told us about"