What do missionaries need...Prayer!

A missionary's greatest need is prayer but what do you pray for? Each week the staff in Phoenix gets together to pray for the needs that exist within Alternative Missions at its various ministry locations. I thought it might be helpful if you knew what came up in our "typical" staff prayer time so you would know how to pray with us. Here is a general list in no particular order:

1. Encouragement to "Keep On Keeping On".
Living in a country, culture and under spiritual dynamics that are foreign to you can just plain be weird. Personal relationship issues, family issues, working relationshi! ps, and life can be hard to adjust to. Personal loses such as a family pet dying or percieved (and real) personal threats can be extra hard. When these kind of things happen the devil is always after you with thoughts of "What am I doing here?" or "Give up and go home"., etc. Missionarys need "grace" to keep on keeping on.

2. Ministry Team Dynamics
Have you ever heard that the number one reason that missionaries leave the field is not being able to get along with other missionaries? It is true! Something goes wacko when you hit the field. It seems so easy to fight with each other. That must be why Jesus prayed that we would be "one"...join us in that prayer. In Alternative Missions we function as a "Team". We need to stay committed to team decisions, unity and accountability to one another.

3. Effectiveness in Ministry "Power from on High" Luke 24:49 & Acts 2 "The ability to ma! ke saving impressions on the hearts of men"
This seems obvious but this is what it is all about. People make huge sacrifices because they want to change hearts and introduce people to Jesus. Pray for the Holy Spirit to make "Saving impressions on the hearts of men" (generic). Pray for our staff and their daily conversations, our scheduled services and programs, and the big events like individuals and teams that join our long term staff on Short Term Missions trips.

4. Wisdom
What does God want to do or say? Where does God want me to go? Which opportunity is right for us to act upon? Eternal issues of great importance are being addressed. We need God's wisdom daily.

5. Travel
When was the last time you got into a taxi or bus in a third world country where you guestioned it's maintenance schedule or it's drivers ability? Many times our staff has to travel by taxi or public transportation or drive several days with their whole family to renew ! visas or network with friends and family back home. Missionaries have to take travel risks on a daily basis. God must have an awful lot of angels assigned to traffic safety for missionaries! Please keep praying!

6. Health
I don't want to freak anyone out. Let me just say that the more you travel and under various conditions health can be an issue. Add that to "normal" health issues and you can only imagine.

7. "Armor Bearers"
Financial support is huge and needed but the biggest issue is the sense of security that you have a team behind you that you know is "there" for you. My encouragement is to read the story of Jonathon and his armor bearer. I Samuel 14: 1 - 23...verse 7 in particular: Here is the armor bearer's response to Jonathon taking a huge risk... "Go ahead, I am with you heart and soul". Every missionaries dream is to have a team. "I can do what you cannot do, you ! can do what I can not do; together we can do great things" Mother Ther esa Ask God what you can do to join a missionary's "Team".

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!

God Bless;
Tom Hackett
Director of Alternative Missions

Reprinted with permission of Tom Hackett with our thanks from:

Robert Black