saturneptune
New Member
I read the entire thread that was just closed about the differences between insults and rebukes. Both sides had valid points, and cannot say I disagree with either side.
However, at one point, it seemed like there was implied or directly said there is no difference between the call to be a missionary in a foreign land and any other call, which is the focus of this thread. The comments remind me in the political events and news section from people who never served in the United States armed forces and act like they are experts in experiencing combat and separation from family. All they do is flap their jaws as they watched CNN from their seminary dorm room.
The call of the missionary in unique. They risk their lives, their families lives, and sacrifice their standard of living to tell others about Jesus Christ. They experience very hot and cold weather. They eat at times a very basic diet we would turn our noses up to. Contrast that with our "call." We are comfortable all year round temperature wise, eat whatever we want, are relatively safe, and play with cable, cell phones, and internet at will. We are not worried about our next meal or our family's safety, but where we are going to eat after the next church service. I could go on and on.
We had a missionary come to our local church a few weeks ago, Bro. Alex Mgwelele, from Morogoro, Tanzania, and he related how he and his family had been threatened by Muslim extremists, the twenty hours he worked per day, his diet, living conditions, as he is both a missionary and runs several schools that feed thousands of children daily. It was quite moving. One of our members asked the question, "how much does it cost to feed a family per week." The question would not even translate into his language because the concept of going to a grocery and buying food like we freely do was not even a concept that he really understood.
We should be eternally grateful for these folks and what they endure compared to our what in any other nation would be a luxurious life style. More important, if you have never lived the experience, this one or others, at least read about the subject before commenting.
However, at one point, it seemed like there was implied or directly said there is no difference between the call to be a missionary in a foreign land and any other call, which is the focus of this thread. The comments remind me in the political events and news section from people who never served in the United States armed forces and act like they are experts in experiencing combat and separation from family. All they do is flap their jaws as they watched CNN from their seminary dorm room.
The call of the missionary in unique. They risk their lives, their families lives, and sacrifice their standard of living to tell others about Jesus Christ. They experience very hot and cold weather. They eat at times a very basic diet we would turn our noses up to. Contrast that with our "call." We are comfortable all year round temperature wise, eat whatever we want, are relatively safe, and play with cable, cell phones, and internet at will. We are not worried about our next meal or our family's safety, but where we are going to eat after the next church service. I could go on and on.
We had a missionary come to our local church a few weeks ago, Bro. Alex Mgwelele, from Morogoro, Tanzania, and he related how he and his family had been threatened by Muslim extremists, the twenty hours he worked per day, his diet, living conditions, as he is both a missionary and runs several schools that feed thousands of children daily. It was quite moving. One of our members asked the question, "how much does it cost to feed a family per week." The question would not even translate into his language because the concept of going to a grocery and buying food like we freely do was not even a concept that he really understood.
We should be eternally grateful for these folks and what they endure compared to our what in any other nation would be a luxurious life style. More important, if you have never lived the experience, this one or others, at least read about the subject before commenting.
) as those on the front lines.