Nine (9) Urgent Needs for Additional Missionaries and Christian Workers Worldwide

– by Doug Nichols

 “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest,” (Matthew 9: 36-38, nasb).

There is a need for additional missionaries today as never before to work with the unreached, orphans, prisoners, needy pastors, trafficked people, street children, the Diaspora, those in slavery, and millions needing the Word of God in their language: 

1. It is estimated that there are two billion people with no nearby Christian to share the gospel with them.  If the church worldwide sent one missionary to each group of 5000 of the two billion, there would be the need for 400,000 (four-hundred thousand) additional missionaries today! 

2. There are now an estimated 159 million orphans worldwide. With the increased expense and difficulty of adoption internationally each evangelical church worldwide needs prayerfully to do all it can to provide care, families, and the gospel to these children.  Each church should consider having a local orphan and children outreach (James 1:27) and also to send missionaries worldwide to minister to orphans.[Orphan Outreach, May 2013]

3. There are an estimated 100 million street children throughout the world.  Thousands of missionaries are needed to work through local evangelical churches to take the gospel and compassionate care to these children on the streets of Bogotá, Manila, México City, Johannesburg, Lusaka, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and other major cities worldwide. [Unicef]

4. Missionaries to the over 10 million prisoners are needed.  Worldwide opportunities are open to minister the gospel and compassion in prisons, especially in poor countries.  A special outreach is needed also to the poor families (wives and children) of prisoners in countries like Colombia, Malawi, Philippines, and Uganda. For every one person in prison, it adversely affects 6-10 family members or friends (60 to100 million people)! [Prisoners for Christ; CIA World Fact Book]

5. Trafficked People. Human trafficking is the world’s second largest criminal enterprise in the world behind narcotics.  There are 20.9 million people in forced labor, bonded labor, and forced prostitution around the world.  Approximately 80% of human trafficking victims are female and up to 50% are minors.  There are nearly 300,000 children at risk every year for commercial sexual exploitation.  An estimated 100,000 minors are in the commercial sex trade in the United States alone. Many missionaries and local Christian workers are needed to expose this sin, to minister to victims, to be an advocate, and to volunteer and serve in aftercare homes. You may want to read the article “What Christians Do About Modern Day Slavery” by Ben Reaoch. [Trafficking in Persons Report 2012; U.S. State Department; U.S. Department of Justice; Polaris Project]

6. The “Diaspora”(People on the Move). God’s people are urgently challenged to reach out with the gospel and compassion to the Diaspora worldwide. The Diaspora means “people on the move” -- to the Iraqis in Toronto, the Filipinos in Jerusalem, the Somalis in Minneapolis, the Mexicans in Seattle, and East Indians in the Philippines.  The United Nations (2013) estimates there are some 15.4 million refugees worldwide today.  60,000 arrive in the US yearly from Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar, and other countries.  There are also15 to 20 million Filipinos working and living outside the Philippines; 845,000 in Canada and 3.5 million in the US. [Filipino International Network, Global Diaspora Network]            

             

7. People in Slavery. There are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world.  Perhaps God would raise up people from your church to deal with this matter, such as the estimated 400,000 young children in slavery in Haiti. (iabolish.org)

8. Languages Needing the Word of God. There are approximately 1960 languages still needing to be analyzed and written and the Word of God translated and printed. With teams of four (4) recommended per translation, there is a need for nearly 8,000 more linguists & Bible translators to provide the Scriptures in those unwritten languages. [Wycliffe Bible Translators of Canada]

9. Hundreds of older godly mentors (couples) are needed to work with (to encourage and mentor) the over two million untrained needy pastors worldwide; for example there are 41,000 untrained and undertrained pastors in the Philippines, many of whom earn less than $20 monthly and have no resources for training, books, or even sufficient funds to care for their families. Two hundred (200) missionary couples could be used effectively in the Philippines with each couple working with over 200 pastors and their family.  What a great investment this would be for two to eight years! 

Perhaps you would prayerfully consider using your spiritual gifts in the following needs and opportunities, locally or in other countries; your gift of helps, hospitality, service, leadership, teaching, mercy, faith, wisdom...Please pray about this possibility!

Prepared by Doug Nichols (nichols.doug@gmail.com)

ACTION Founder and Global Missions Advocate/Mobilizer

Study Bibles to the Philippines

There are over 40,000 untrained and undertrained pastors in the Philippines many earning less than $20 monthly and with no study books.  We are able to send the excellent $50 (price in the Philippines) “Life Application Study Bible” (LASB) delivered in the Philippines for only $14.  Last week we shipped nearly 200 LASBs to the Philippines.  Perhaps each one reading of this need (and opportunity) would help provide a Study Bible for a pastor or Christian worker -- $14 for one Study Bible, $28 for two, and $70 for five.  Your gift can be sent to Action International Ministries, PO Box 398, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043-0398 • Tel. 425-775-4800 • info@actionusa.org; ACTION Canada • 3015A 21 Street NE, Calgary, Alberta T2E 7T1• Tel. 403-204-1421 • info@actioncanada.org; and ACTION Philippines • PO Box 110 • Greenhills Post Office • 1502 Metro Manila • Philippines • Tel: 011-632-531-3709 • take.action@actionintl.org.

How is your time in the Word?

Recently I finished reading the excellent book, “We Felt Like Grasshoppers (The Story of Africa Inland Mission)” by Dick Anderson.  He shares about John Stauffacher, missionary in the early 19^th century and his commitment to spend daily time in God’s Word.

“John had cut short his college education in order to fulfill his call as soon as possible.  But he read avidly, worked hard at the language and used his knowledge of Greek in translating the Maasai New Testament.  Wherever he lived he sought a quiet place where he met God daily – a log in the Kijabe forest, a tree house at Rumuruti – and from such communion he could preach confidently and plan with assurance.” [p. 44]

Are Missionaries Still Needed?

by Doug Nichols

 

If the church worldwide sent one missionary to each group of 5000 of the two billion, there would be the need for 400,000 (four-hundred thousand) additional missionaries today! It is estimated that there are 285 million evangelicals worldwide.  If we just take the 285 million evangelicals, 400,000 is about 1.4 missionaries per every 1000 evangelicals worldwide.   [http://christianity.about.com/od/denominations/p/christiantoday.htm]

Old Man Helps a 12-year-old Boy

When I was twelve, my stepfather said if I wanted any money, I would have to work for it. As he did not give me an allowance for my chores at home, I started going door-to-door asking for jobs.

One very elderly man sitting on his porch said I could mow his lawn.  “Sir, I have no lawn mower,” I responded.  

“You can use mine,” he said.  “Do you know how to use a lawn mower?”

I said, “No.” “Well, pull that rope and start the engine,” he replied.

He was basically crippled, so he sat on the porch and yelled out instructions over the low roar of the gasoline engine until I got the lawn mower started.  

“No, no!  Not that way! What’s the matter? Can’t you go straight?”  He yelled throughout the whole lawn mowing adventure as I cut his front lawn.

He yelled at me until I got it right. Then he suggested a business venture. “You won’t get any lawns to mow unless you have a lawn mower.  I’ll tell you what I’ll do.  I’ll give you the lawn mower for $100 and you can pay me back by mowing my lawn every week. You can take the lawn mower and get more jobs.”

I thought that was a pretty good deal.  So, I went next door and asked if I could mow the lawn.  They said yes, and I began my business career.  The next thing I knew, the old man was standing in the driveway leaning on his cane, yelling out instructions until I got it right.  Then he followed me to the next yard.

With each lawn my skills improved until I got pretty good for a young boy.  

His wife would set out lemonade, cookies, and a sandwich, and he would yell at me some more as I mowed his lawn.  Since he was training me, he wanted me to do it perfectly.  Sometimes he would follow me around and inspect all the lawns I mowed to make sure I was doing it right.

Yelling or not, this old man helped me learn a trade and encouraged me in my young business career. When I was 15, I still had that lawn mower, plus three professional lawn mowers and thirty people working for me.  I also hired a couple of drivers since I was too young to have a driver’s license.