“We are here! We are here! We are here!”
Remember that famous line from the children’s book, Horton Hears a Who? The hero of the story, Horton the Elephant, finds a speck of dust that is actually a tiny planet and places it on a clover to protect it. Everyone else thinks Horton is crazy because they can’t see or hear the residents of Whoville. So, to save their planet, all the tiny residents shout, “We are here!” as loudly as they can, over and over.
Sometimes I imagine our missionaries having to do that. As the old saying goes, “Out of sight; out of mind.” I wonder if they ever think we forget they are there?
Especially during this time when people around the world are being encouraged to remain isolated from one another, imagine how that makes our missionaries’ job more challenging and magnifies any feelings of homesickness and missing family members in the States.
So, what can we do to help our missionaries and let them know we do remember they are there?
Here are a few suggestions:
- Pray for them.
- Say “hi” occasionally. They would love to hear from you. At Northside, we know our missionaries. They’ve been “our” missionaries for a long time. They visit us every two years, and we visit them on alternate years. They’re part of our family. As you deal with all the stuff of your day today, why not take a few minutes to reach out to Robin & Chrissy Vick, Alex & Erin Flood, or Jonathan Hanegan and let them know how much you appreciate them?
- Stay informed about what they’re doing. Keep up with them on Facebook. Read their newsletters. Read Northside’s missions newsletter.
- Support them financially. Our annual Missions Sunday is April 26. I’ve been working with each of our missionaries to produce videos updating you on their work and focusing on one person each of them has impacted for good. You will be blessed by hearing their stories.
Northside members, thank you for faithfully continuing to support the work of this church while we’re apart from each other. Our missionaries are still hard at work, and they depend on you to continue spreading the Good News around the world.