What’s in a Care Package?

Basically, my job as a missionary has been to help other missionaries. Every trip I’ve taken has included augmenting the already-existing work in the country I’m traveling to. Jim Cottrill over at missionary-blogs.com sent an E-mail to everyone asking what we’d like to get in a care package, and he requested that we write a post about it. So this is mine.

My missionary career has thusfar been an extension of the ministry of helps. I’ve never pioneered a work. I’ve never pastored a church. I’ve never been an instructor at a Bible school (I have spoken at one a few times). I’ve never lived overseas longer than three months, and I’m pretty sure I never will. I considered at one time the possibility of staying in Brasil for two years, but circumstances prevented that from happening. One colleague said it best when he called me a “pond hopper”, going here and there, wherever I’m needed.

When I was getting ready to go to Thailand last fall, I considered all of this and what I had on my heart to do at Patti’s place. I began to see how God was using me to be a care package intrinsically; myself a gift to other missionaries stationed permanently overseas. Not that I’m special, but that I’m available. Less like the apostle Paul, and more like Epaphroditus.

I took with me to Thailand numerous things for Patti and the kids: ointment for bug bites, vitamins, a Hot Wheels track. I was going to bring peanut butter and grits, but she was well stocked on those items! Yet, the most important thing was having somebody there to talk to. Somebody who spoke English. Somebody with the same accent. Somebody to help with the kids when she wanted to be alone.

I’m sure there are lots of people writing articles like this saying they’d like to have a jar of their favorite perfume or some quality jackets for the winter, but what they won’t tell you is they’d like to see you. There is stuff in America you can’t get overseas, and sending these things to a missionary is a great help for them psychologically as well as physically, but the greatest boost in morale is a little help.

Do your missionary a favor: send them you. :o)

~Jonathan

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June 16th, 2007 · Back to Top · Tagged: Blog, Missions

Comments (11)

  1. Darlene

    i never thought about it like that i knew they must get lonely and all but the whole speaking english and the accent thing seem to really strike a cord with me . I have been in places in our country where i felt like an outsider because of my Texas drawl.
    so i can only imagine the need to hear that accent if you are somewhere for years on end.
    thanks for the insight and i will pray that missionaries recive a lil taste of home in an accent around the world this year.

    God Bless !!!!

    On June 20th, 2007, at 9:18 am

  2. ann

    o.k. and thank you!

    On June 21st, 2007, at 1:29 am

  3. Jonathan

    It was a little bit different, I guess. :o)

    On June 21st, 2007, at 6:03 pm

  4. Patti

    Care packages are really nice, but with
    postage so expensive, MONEY is better!
    Patti in Thailand

    On July 4th, 2007, at 3:02 am

  5. Jonathan

    You know, that’s especially true if you’ve got a local bank account. It was nothing for my mom to put extra money in my account if I was running short.

    On July 4th, 2007, at 3:46 am

  6. Andrew

    Hey, thanks for the comments on my site! I am having no end of troubles with the MT comments, and I think I deleted the one about Juiz de Fora. Sorry about that–it was totally unintentional.

    On July 4th, 2007, at 2:14 pm

  7. Jonathan

    Ha ha! That’s okay. It was for you, anyway. I don’t think any of your visitors would care that I was a Brazilian hillbilly for a while! ;o)

    On July 4th, 2007, at 4:00 pm

  8. Jonathan M

    Thanks for putting up some good information like this. I’ll probably end up forwarding friends, family, and partners to this post for ideas and perspective for when they are thinking about sending us stuff on the field.

    BTW - your About section is great.

    On July 10th, 2007, at 5:26 pm

  9. Jonathan

    Thanks Jonathan! By the way, did Dana ever tell you how much I love your “Africa” theme song? :o) I commented on her site about it once.

    Edit: Just read my “About” page again, thanks to you. It’s good for me to refresh my memory of that from time to time.

    On July 10th, 2007, at 9:30 pm

  10. Michelle in Mx

    Very well put.
    My husband and I do the same . . .we support people here, we are not speakers or church planters but workers.
    And you are so right . . . about sending a body with the package . . .

    On July 29th, 2007, at 3:11 am

  11. Jonathan

    It was the only thing I could think of. I mean, most things you can get overseas nowadays. But God said it best in Luke 10 when he sent out the seventy two-by-two: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Luke 10:2 (NLT)

    On July 29th, 2007, at 2:36 pm

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