Dear M.O.M.

You are one of my heroes.  Your are the most sacrificing people I have ever met. You are a “Mom Of Missionaries”.

If you are not an M.O.M., you may be thinking that I have got it all mixed up.  The missionaries are the ones who are sacrificing so much! Yes, they also are giving up the comforts of America and their family.  But don’t feel oh, so sad for them.  When I go to the airport to see off missionaries, my heart doesn’t necessarily go out only to them.  My heart goes out to the close loved ones to whom they are saying “good-bye” for an indefinite time.

We may look at the missionary and say, “Wow! They are leaving all comfort and going into a strange place!”   Since I have been a missionary on the foreign field for 10 years, I know that they are going to be ok!  It is the biggest adventure of their life and they get to serve God at the same time!  Their children will get to grow up learning 2 languages and 2 cultures at once! (Which makes for some very interesting stories!)  Their life is by far nothing but BORING!  Who gets to go into a lion’s cage and jump off the highest bungee in the world?  Ok, maybe that will worry the M.O.M.’s out there. J  Who gets to get their passport a few days after they are born and startflying even before they can walk? Who gets to see many historical and amazing wonders of the world?  My kids got to see the Iguazu Falls in Argentina/Brazil, one of the Seven Wonders of the World in 2011!  More importantly than any of that, who gets to see God do amazing things in areas of provision, changed lives through the Gospel, churches started and many souls saved?

I know it’s tough to see your child leave. You have given him/her up to God, but it’s still hard!  My husband preaches that parents can be used of God to be the bridge that their children can cross to serve Him. When your child comes to you and says that God has called him to be a missionary, you may not start jumping up and down for joy, but you can and should surrender to whatever God has for your child.   I believe that you as a M.O.M. will have eternal rewards in Heaven for this great sacrifice!

In my next post, I would like to give you some encouragement and some tips on “how to survive” once your son/daughter leaves for the field. I recognize that God’s grace is all-sufficient!  My mom says the only way she was not a basket case when we left was because of God’s grace!  So, M.O.M., yes, you can absolutely rest in God’s grace, but there are also some practical and spiritual things that you can do as well that will help you and your children.