Special Topics: Business as Mission

There are many different vehicles of missions. For example, one can spread the Good News of Jesus while also providing great health care in medical missions. However, one might not think that business and missions go hand in hand. I mean, think about all the money and greed in business, right? 

There's an imaginary tiered system that we often think about if we were raised in church. Imagine a pyramid of importance, with the missionaries at the top - I mean they risk their lives all day long for the Gospel and left their homelands, the state-side ministers below them, the health care people below them, and then all the businesspeople... right above purgatory.

I write this jokingly, but there is a manufactured disconnect between business and mission. In all reality, Paul, arguably the best human missionary in the Bible, was in fact a tentmaker. He used this skill to make money to support the spread of the gospel.

Fast forward to the present day and a new trend is helping us complete the Great Commission to reach the whole world with the gospel, including the places where we are forbidden. Businesses have been started in other countries with the expressed intention of not just bringing economic development and monetary profit, but also the chance to disciple workers 8 hours+ daily.

We have started an importer business with this exact aim. I can already tell that there are unique challenges. The amount of work that has to be done is very challenging. When you work on something that much, it becomes evident that obsession creeps in. Obsession is an enemy of God. It's also known by its sinister flavors of lust, greed, idolatry. Working hard is necessary, but remaining faithful to God is moreso.

May God have His way with us and may His Good News go where it is not permitted.

Special Topics: International Missions

This is a special topic post for those who consider spreading the good news of Jesus with people of other cultures. This can be done in your current country among immigrants, or it can be done internationally. My experience comes from living in Guatemala and Switzerland and also working among immigrants in the USA.

Living internationally is a very difficult experience that requires a lot of emotional support from your loved ones. You never understand how much your culture means to you until it is taken away. You never understand how much your family and friends mean to you. You never understand how much your national infrastructure, such as roads, internet and grocery chains mean to you. You might believe that these things aren't really a part of your core identity, but you're just wrong. :D

Here are some things I've learned. Don't go alone. Perhaps you have an idea of a lone ranger who goes out and saves the world. Guess what! The apostles were sent out by Jesus in twos. This was a genius move on Jesus' part, because those apostles supported each other physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. Loneliness is a deadly enemy that can easily ensnare expats into sin.

I've counseled a few folks who fell into sin while serving alone as missionaries. Because of the traumatic effects of culture shock that come from having your entire support system torn away from you, it is necessary to have a partner to care for you and for you to care for them.

I've made the mistake of believing my culture was better than others, as well. You really have to go in understanding that people are people. There will be things that really irk you about the way people do things, but you aren't better than them. There will be sin that people do in that culture, and those will need to be addressed, but it must be done Scripturally, not through the cultural mores of America or whatever you nationality may be. The first book you should read is American Ways, by Gary Althen, available at Amazon.com or other retailers. It is a book designed for immigrants coming to the USA, but reading it will show you how different your culture is from the rest of the world. It's the first step in shedding ethnocentrism.

Read about other cultures in order to have a cursory understanding before you go. Please note that no book will prepare you to adapt to another culture, but it can help you understand that there will be differences that you might misinterpret. Use resources lightly, but use them. Don't go on stereotypes. A great series of books available at Amazon.com or other sites is called "Culture Shock". See if there is one written for the country to which you wish to go, for example, Thailand. The Kindle versions usually run about $6. 

Culture shock isn't just the title of a book series, it's a psychological phenomenon that happens to people changing their physical location. It happens to people moving from one state to the next, although it is cushioned because of the common culture. Moving long-term to another country and culture can be devastating. At first, there is a honeymoon period where everything seems amazing about your new home. Then there is a period where you hate everything about a culture, and it is very difficult to go through with grace. My shock trigger is either illness or a haircut. Haircuts, I find, are extremely intimidating when you can't speak the language of your barber, plus there is a risk of HIV with unsanitary barbers. If you get past this, you adapt and find your personal identity in the culture, seeing the good and the bad and becoming a member of society.

The hardest part of international living may be finding a place in the culture. The role of a missionary is an awkward one, especially when making introductions. "Why are you here?" is a question oft-asked of expats.

Saying you are a missionary gets a lot of bad or even odd reactions. I was called a Mormon frequently. I was also thought to be a Mennonite because I tried to dress like the local men, complete with fedora and tweed jacket. Fortunately, I worked as an English teacher, so I had a place in the society. There are other ways to be legitimate. The medical field and international business offer a lot of opportunities to take a proper place in a different culture. 

Some, if not most, are hostile to the idea of a Christian missionary coming to them. It is very important to consider how you will fit, because people will judge you by your role, whether you like it or not.

Special Topics: Health Care Missions

This is a special topic post for those considering work in the medical field and/or medical missions.

Medical missions are a type of mission activity that fuses medical care and the act of healing with spreading the good news about Jesus. Medical missions can be found all over the world, in the most dangerous places in the world, and even among immigrant and uninsured populations in the USA.

Medical work is a tremendous commitment that one should never take lightly; it is truly a career that I believe you must be called to do in order to do it because of the pain and suffering that it entails.

I've been privileged to join with 2 short-term groups for a number of years and worked a long stint with a medical mission, serving people in Haiti, Guatemala and inner-city America. I worked as a medical interpreter, pharmacy technician and eventually as a patient navigator, which is a new field that is akin to social work. I also worked in graphic design, film editing, and preventive/sanitation health care teaching.

I currently work for a secular hospital, where I'm still able to share Jesus with others, albeit unofficially. Medical work is a great passion of mine, and I can also speak to the difficulty of balancing work with evangelism.

The great challenge of medical missions is simply being able to do the work of medicine while maintaining a missionary focus. The work is all-consuming, and there is never enough time in the day to finish. So where are the points wherein we can talk about Jesus with folks?

The balance comes from a dynamic shift in thinking. Is the physical self more important than the physical self? If I believe that the physical self is the most important thing, then I may find myself using all of my energy and time to heal people from their illnesses. If I believe that the spiritual self is most important, that will overflow automatically into my speech and actions. I will heal people physically, but I will shower them with the Word of God, a healing balm to the soul. I will treat them, reminding them of the Great Physician who healed my own soul and will do the same if they accept Him, Jesus.

There are many resources out there to aid us in how to care for people spiritually and medically. A superb book is Multiplying Light and Truth, by Stan Rowland. It's a difficult book to find, but in it is contained one of the best models I've ever seen and experienced in the integration of community ownership, preventive medicine, medical/hospital care and evangelism. Reading this book will give you far more insight into how medical missions should work, rather than reading any post I could write.

I would also recommend to anyone considering a life of medical missions to watch Dr. Kent Brantly speak. He was the first person on U.S. soil to be treated for the Ebola virus, which he contracted while serving as a medical missionary in Liberia, Africa. (Video can be accessed by clicking: http://vimeo.com/122761210)

Special Topics: Ethics of Illegal Missionary Activity

This is a special topic post for those interested in cross-cultural, international missions.

The link below will address a difficult question. Is it ethical to break the laws of a sovereign government in order to spread the gospel of Jesus? Pardon the academic, neutral language of the paper. It was written in fulfillment of an MBA assignment in ethics.

Academic Paper on the Ethics of Illegal Missionary Activity