When I grow up . . .
A mission-minded child may want to become a missionary–or a teacher or a doctor or a newspaper reporter or a state governor or a pastor or a businessperson or an airplane pilot or an author or a florist or a mother–as long as its what God wants.
Photo: For 12-year-old mission-minded Caela Dunagan’s first MISSION TRIP (to Uganda, East Africa), ministry highlights included updates/checkups on hundreds of children at Harvest Ministry’s orphan ministries, sharing at several village churches, and ministering at an African Women’s Conference.
The following excerpt is a highlight from the introduction of The Mission-Minded Child – Raising a New Generation to Fulfill God’s Purpose. Hope you enjoy it!
So, what is a mission-minded child?
A mission-minded child . . .
- dreams of fulfilling God’s destiny.
- prays for that next-door neighbor.
- A mission-minded child may want to become a missionary–or a teacher or a doctor or a newspaper reporter or a state governor or a pastor or a businessperson or an airplane pilot or an author or a florist or a mother–as long as its what God wants.
- is not a picky eater!
- takes home a photo magnet from the visiting missionary family and puts it on the kitchen refrigerator.
- is healthy, active, and adventurous.
- spends a summer night sleeping outside on the trampoline, gazes up at a sky filled with twinkling stars, and realizes God’s plan is infinitely bigger than his or her own backyard.
- imagines rollerblading on the Great Wall of China!
- recognizes the names of David Livingstone, Amy Carmichael, Hudson Taylor, and Loren Cunningham.
- knows how to use chopsticks.
- has a reputation for thoroughly enjoying the Bible sword drills and memory verse contests at church.
- puts extra money in the monthly missions offering and feels extra good inside.
- thinks it could be fun to sleep in a mud hut in Africa!
- reads all the way through the Bible by the age of ten (or eleven or twelve)–and is excited to start again!
- stares at the photos in the new geography textbook or magazine and imagines climbing to the top of that Egyptian pyramid, snorkeling in those tropical-blue waters, and giving a new outfit to that poor boy with the ripped-up shirt.
- befriends the new kid at school.
- thinks beyond the “box” of what’s merely expected and hopes to do something big, or something little, for God.
- wants to obey (even when no one is looking).
- loves Jesus!
For Christian parents and teachers, “world missions” is not just an extracurricular subject to teach our kids, it’s the core of our curriculum. Let’s raise the next generation to have a passion for God’s Great Commission. As Hudson Taylor (a famous missionary to China) often said, “The Great Commission is not an option to consider, it’s a command to obey.”
And how about adding to our list!!! How are you raising your children to have God’s heart for the world and His Great Commission, and in your childrens lives (in day-to-day routines and in your “where-the-rubber-meets-the-road” reality) what is it like to be a genuine mission-minded child in your experience?
Now it’s your turn:
A mission-minded child . . .
The Challenge: DAY 15 – Prayer #5
Families who PRAY!
Welcome to DAY 15 of the 40-Day Mission-Minded FAMILY CHALLENGE!
Today’s video will challenge you to pray together as a family – real and honest before God – relying on His righteousness and grace, not your own works.
C’mon . . . Take the Challenge!
- Recommended Mission Resource: Brokenness, Surrender, Holiness
- Missionary Quote by Nancy Leigh DeMoss – of Revive our Hearts and Martin Luther
- Geography Quiz at lizardpoint.com: AFRICA and joshuaproject.net
- Memory Verse: James 5:16, II Cor. 5:21, Isaiah 64:6
- Today’s 5 minute video
A question for feedback:What are your thoughts about praying together as a family? Has this been a challenge for you, or has it been easy? Have you found any keys – or answers – that could help or encourage other families to pray together?
COMING NEXT WEEK: The BEATITUDES – with a Mission-Minded Focus!
The Challenge: DAY 14 – Prayer #4
Kids who PRAY!
Welcome to DAY 14 of the 40-Day Mission-Minded FAMILY CHALLENGE!
Today’s 5-minute focus will encourage you to motivate your children in prayer. Parents usually have no problem motivating their kids in sports or school, yet sometimes don’t want to “push” their kids spiritually. As mission-minded families we especially need to encourage our kids in disciplines that matter for eternity.
C’mon . . . Take the Challenge!
- Recommended Mission Resource: Window on the World
- Missionary Quote by Henry Martyn
- Geography Quiz at lizardpoint.com: AFRICA
- Memory Verse: John 3:16
- Today’s 5 minute video
A question for feedback:
Do you encourage your kids in their personal prayer life?
How are you doing this, specifically? And how are your kids growing in the Lord right now?
The Challenge: DAY 13 – Prayer #3
Parents who PRAY!
Welcome to DAY 13 of the 40-Day Mission-Minded FAMILY CHALLENGE! Today’s challenge focuses on parents being an example to your kids, by PRAYING consistently.
Feel free to leave comments and feedback. Let’s encourage one another to become more mission-minded.
C’mon . . . Take the Challenge!
- Recommended Mission Resource: C.T. Studd – No Retreat – from YWAM’s Christian Heroes Then & Now Series and also The Mission-Minded Family.
- Missionary Quote by C.T. Studd
- Geography Quiz at lizardpoint.com: Africa
- Memory Verses: Psalm 127:1,Matthew 4:19, I Cor. 11:1
The Challenge: DAY 12 – Prayer #2
A Place to PRAY!
Welcome to DAY 12 of the 40-Day Mission-Minded FAMILY CHALLENGE! Today’s challenge focuses on establishing a specific PLACE for your personal devotion time and quoting a prayer by missionary martyr, Betty Scott Stam, the importance of surrendering everything to the Lord.
Feel free to leave comments and feedback. Let’s encourage one another to become more mission-minded.
C’mon . . . Take the Challenge!
- Recommended Mission Resource: Tracking Your Walk – YWAM Kid’s Prayer Journal
- Missionary Quote by Betty Scott Stam
- Geography Quiz at lizardpoint.com: Africa
- Memory Verses: Mark 1:35
(By the way, rather saying Jesus was “so busy” during His time on earth, I prefer to say that He had such a vast eternal purpose to fulfill in such a short 3-year period. One remarkable aspect about the life of Jesus is that He was never “stressed” or overly “busy-busy” like we often are.)
The Challenge: DAY 11 – Prayer #1
A Time to PRAY!
Welcome to DAY 11 of the 40-Day Mission-Minded FAMILY CHALLENGE!
Today’s challenge focuses on establishing a specific TIME for prayer. Learn Hudson Taylor’s “spiritual secret” for effective ministry: TIME ALONE WITH GOD.
Feel free to leave comments and feedback. Let’s encourage one another to become more mission-minded.
C’mon . . . Take the Challenge!
- Recommended Mission Resource: Hero Tales – Volume I
- Missionary Quote by Hudson Taylor
- Geography Quiz at lizardpoint.com: Africa
- Memory Verses: Psalm 37:4-5
“Gospel Projects International”
This month, Josh & Anna Dunagan are launching out as a NEW MISSIONS outreach.
They’re only 23 years old, and they’ve only been married for one year.
But what a year it’s been!!!
Introducing . . . Gospel Projects International
Shortly after their wedding, Josh & Anna stepped out into missions by helping to meet spiritual and physical needs in Asia. They started a small children’s home (now caring for 23 orphan children, called “Aasha – HOPE – Children’s Home”), and began to partner with national ministers. They founded a new Bible school (now training over twenty national village pastors), and they’re working together in ministry with four full-time national evangelist/pastors. They’ve been having a great time ministering, both overseas and in the United States (in churches, on the streets, and leading local community outreaches).
Their heart for the Lord, and their love for others is awesome. As we’ve seen all that God has done through their obedience, it’s been an inspiration to us . . . and a blessing to many!
We’re so proud of them both, and we’re all giving God the GLORY for the wonderful reports of their first year of newlywed life . . . and of ministry!!!
Come take a look at their brand-new website: Gospel Projects International
What is a Mission-Minded Family?
In a mission-minded family, there’s a God-infused energy. There’s a focus on God’s worldwide purpose, and there’s a passion for the lost. There’s a spiritual depth and hunger that reaches beyond the maintenance mode of cultural Christianity.
A mission-minded family emphasizes leadership, calling, and destiny. There’s a prevailing attitude of self-sacrifice and an emphasis on total submission to God’s will. And there’s an unmistakable and contagious joy.
A mission-minded family . . .
- loves to make God smile!
- learns to be diligent, because there’s work to be done and many needs in this world
- brings a stack of well-worn Bibles to church!
- enjoys presents at Christmastime, but never forgets all the poor little children in Cambodia who have nothing.
- is focused on eternity.
- knows how to look up Afghanistan, Bolivia, Singapore, and Tibet, and imagines more than what they see on a map.
- eats rice!
- learns how to share the “gospel colors” and is excited about the miniature EvangeCube that can hook to a kid’s backpack.
- dreams of traveling around the world and makes sure each person has an updated passport–just in case!
- thinks about the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day–and all the people wearing green who don’t have a clue that Patrick was a missionary.
- lives in SUB-mission!
- shakes missionaries’ hands after church and invites their family over for dinner.
- knows that when the Lord guides, He also provides.
- keeps the lawn mowed, as a good Christian witness to the neighbors.
- is strategically aimed for God’s purpose.
- anticipates the excitement of the teenage years and looks forward to youth group mission trips.
- keeps active and healthy in order to be physically able to do whatever God requires.
- gives generously–even when it hurts!
- enjoys carryon luggage with wheels, final boarding calls, and airline peanuts.
- thinks beyond the box of what’s merely expected and hope to do something big (or something little) for God.
- lives for Jesus!
This article by Ann Dunagan, is an excerpt from her book, The Mission-Minded Family – Releasing Your Family to God’s Destiny (InterVarsity Press).
Teaching With God’s Heart for the World – 10 PDF’s
Click here to download VOLUME 1 – Part 1 – FREE!!!
- FILE SIZE: 9.76 MB – 64 pages
- SECTION I – Welcome: Table of Contents, Dedication, Introduction, Suggested Weekly Schedule, Using the Library and Media.
- SECTION II – Building a Foundation for Missions: Our Call, Our Biblical Basis, Our Heritage, Our Missionary Examples
- FILE SIZE: 7.69 MB – 54 pages
- SECTION III – TOOLS FOR TEACHING: General Teaching Helps (with Bible Memory), Music and Missionary Songs, International Holidays, Teaching History (and making time lines), Geography and World Maps, Missionary Passport
- FILE SIZE: 10.20 MB – 72 pages
- SECTION IV – DAILY LESSON PLANS: Week 1 – The Gospel We Preach and Personal Prayer, Weeks 2-3 – Our Biblical Basis for Missions (Old Testament – Israel, New Testament – Roman Empire) Weeks 4-7: Medieval Europe, Crusades and Holy Wars, Renaissance and Reformation, Exploration and Colonialization
(NOTE: Day 1 is missing in the file. Please CLICK HERE for DAY 1.)
- FILE SIZE: 9.57 MB – 64 pages
- SECTION IV (cont.) – Weeks 8-14: WORLD MISSIONS AROUND THE GLOBE – Western Europe (home of early missionaries), Eastern Europe (the iron curtain and open doors), North America, Quakers and Pilgrims (Thanksgiving Week), Latin America, Asia (Hinduism)
- FILE SIZE: 14.55 MB – 68 pages
- SECTION IV (cont.) – Weeks 15-16 : Far East Asia (Buddhism) and The 10/40 Window
- AVAILABLE MISSION RESOURCES – Extensive reviews and photos of many mission-minded family resources.
Click here to download VOLUME 2 – Part 1 – FREE!!!
- FILE SIZE: 12.93 MB – 72 pages
- Section 1
- FILE SIZE: 11.08 MB – 74 pages
- Section 2
- FILE SIZE: 10.49 MB – 64 pages
- Section 3
- FILE SIZE: 12.84 MB – 76 pages
- Section 4
- FILE SIZE: 16.87 MB – 72 pages
- Section 5
