Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Take a Missionary to Lunch Day (In honor of Alber Schweitzer's birthday)

Obviously, our perspective on this holiday has changed over the years. I promise you that any of these will be a huge encouragement to missionaries near and far. These suggestions on how to celebrate come from "Every Day a Holiday" by Silvana Clark:

-Celebrate the most obvious way-take a missionary to lunch! Better yet, take their whole family out to lunch or dinner. Call your church or local Christian organizations to see if any missionaries are home on furlough.

-Can't find any missionaries to take to lunch? Put together a "lunch basket" to send to missionaries overseas. Include a variety of items they may not be able to get. Let your children pick out their favorite snack to send to missionary children (suggestion from the Choates - e-mail and ask those missionary children what they are missing)

-We often think of missionaries as people who serve God only in remote third world countries. Show children how they can be missionaries in their own community.

-Ask your church or denomination for the addresses (or e-mail addresses) of missionaries with children close in age to your children. Start a correspondence with them. Ask about their hobbies, daily schedule, and new experiences. Ask how you can pray for them.

-Read a book about Albert Scheweitzer's life.

-Ask a missionary how your family can pray for him or her this coming year. If the missionary is in a third world country, can you help by sending school supplies to his or her children? Find a way to stay in contact with the missionary's family.

-Design a "Getting to Know You" scrapbook. Give family members sheets of paper that will fit in a photo album. Everyone designs several pages with photographs and descriptive captions. Include brochures from your hometown. Compile the scrapbook and send it to a missionary family.

-Along with taking a missionary to lunch, consdier giving missionaries living in the U.S. gift certificates to restaurants. They'll appreciate being able to take their family out to eat on a limited budget. Throw in some gift certificates to McDonald's for fun!

1 comment:

Amy, Sean and Mia said...

Hi Choates --
I just caught up on all that you've been up to since mid December. I'm getting together a late (sorry) Christmas box. Joanna, your "annual" gift is coming. So, what are the Choate children missing that Aunt Amy could include in the box?
Love to all, Amy, Sean and baby Mia