FAQ's about Missionary Life
Frequently Asked Questions about Missionary Life -
(Adapted from the Jansen Family’s blog: https://jansensonmission.blogspot.com/2020/05/frequently-asked-questions-about.html?m=1
We were so impressed reading a blog written by the Jansen Family (a family who will be training with us), that we decided to share their post while adding a few tweaks (they gave us permission). The majority of the answers in this blog are theirs, but that’s because it applies to us as well. We made a few short changes to make it personal to us. I have italicized their writing so that we can give them proper credit. If we haven’t answered a question you would like to ask, don’t hesitate to email us. :)
Where will you be going?
We are not sure yet. There is a period of discernment before that decision is made. Family Missions Company has posts all over the world! It is likely we will join an already established post. As for now, we know we have to learn Spanish as a family. ¡Que interesante! ;)
How is COVID-19 affecting your plans?
As of right now, Intake (full-time training period) has been postponed until September 2021. In the meantime, we will be learning Spanish and being STATESIDE missionaries. This pandemic has caused a lot of uncertainty and circumstances will most likely change plans again over time. I DO know one thing - it will be exactly how God intends it to be, of that I am sure, and we rest in that.
Do you get to pick where you go?
No. Our first post will be chosen by FMC leadership. After we arrive at Intake in September, leadership takes time to pray about our placement. However, if we feel we are being called to a specific place, we can tell them and they will take that into consideration.
After two years at our first post, we make the decision as a family whether we stay or go. We can stay on at that post, move to a different location in the world - anywhere - or end our time with FMC and head back to the US. Again, these decisions all involve an active period of discernment.
What is this "FMC" you are working with and … wait … they're Catholic?!?
Yes, Family Missions Company (FMC) is a 501(3)(c) organization. And yes, they're Catholic! Lay Catholic Missionaries are a thing! FMC currently has over 300 missionaries worldwide - families and singles. Pretty cool, right?! Started by a family in 1997 that has a GREAT story. Read Genie Summers' books, Go! You Are Sent and Our Family's Book of Acts or go to the website, complete with a video, to learn more about the company. https://www.familymissionscompany.com/this-is-our-story/
You can also ask Google about "catholic mission trips" and FMC will be one of the first hits. That's how we discovered them!
Aren't you worried about the kids' safety?
Yes. We worry about them here and it will be no different wherever we go.
The main thing to remember here, I believe, is that God called us to foreign missions AS A FAMILY. Yes, He put the call on us parents, but God knows we have children!!! And, He was telling us throughout the whole process (and looking back, throughout our whole lives!) that our FAMILY was meant for something different.
God called Chris and me to be parents first, missionaries second. Our primary vocation is to serve our domestic church. We will continue to honor that to the best of our ability.
We are very confident, in fact we KNOW, that God would not call us into something that would harm us. Could someone get hurt or sick while on mission? Of course! And, we could also get in a car accident today. We choose to put our trust in God, to do His will and to be obedient to His call ... all while loving and nurturing our children.
How do the children feel about being missionaries?
We had invited them into the discussion and the discernment process about becoming full-time missionaries. We heard all of their concerns: they will miss their friends, our family, Rocky (the dog), the house, the neighborhood, the food, and the sports! And we heard their excitement: we get to travel, maybe live on a beach ? (ha!), be together more as a family, meet new friends, help the poor, teach others how to properly play American Football and even lacrosse! We took all of their concerns, excitement and much, much more into consideration. Finally, we discerned what was best for our family through prayer, scripture, and discussion. We decided to listen to the Holy Spirit telling us to “GO!” We asked the boys to trust us as their parents and to ultimately trust God the Father to know that this is the right decision. They are excited. Of course, they go through waves of emotions and sadness about leaving, but, overall, they are happy to be missionary kids.
What about your pets?
Rocky, our dog, was given a new, SWEET home. He is very content and is happy. We are very sad, but it helps to know he is in GOOD HANDS. Katelyn Carmody, a missionary kid and friend of the Jansens, shared that our pets are happy for us that we are going to help the poor. I really think Rocky feels that way!
What do missionaries actually do?
FMC's/our primary focus is evangelization. We will be preaching the gospel and serving the poor. What does that look like on a daily basis? It could certainly involve big projects like those that are typically associated with "mission trips" - digging wells, building schools, etc., but not necessarily. We will take some time to assimilate and get to know the community and its people. From there we determine what ministries or projects we are capable of that would most benefit the people. This ALWAYS involves lots of prayer! And through these ministries or projects, the ultimate goal is to bring the gospel to the people and to talk with them about the Man who died for them. This is all while learning the language, feeding a family 3 meals a day, doing normal family stuff, school, laundry and bath time as usual!
How will you support yourselves?
We will be supported by our ministry partners.
Can we still communicate with our friends and family?
Yes! We would love to stay in communication. You have obviously found our blog. That's a good way to stay updated on our lives. And you can email us: cawaldrop@familymissionscompany.com
Our physical address for snail mail is the Family Missions Company address in Abbeville, LA:
12611 Everglade Rd, Abbeville, LA 70510
Just put our names on there and we will receive it!
As far as phone conversations go and facetime and things like that ...? the answer is yes but it's really hard to say how much signal we'll get, how much data we will have, etc. We also are committed to fully entering into life in our new environment. That means not a lot of screen time or being married to our phones. And FMC actually puts restrictions on technology for the first year for that reason. We will just do the best we can. Know we love you and miss you and are praying for all of you.
Will you ever come back?
Yes! We will be back to the States periodically for visits. For now, we know we should be here for another year and back for Christmas 2021, but of course that is also subject to change. As for long-term, will we ever move back to the states permanently? In two years? three? five? ten??? That's hard to say! I think yes. The timing and the future is in God's hands.
Are you really going to sell your house and what do you plan to do with all your… stuff?
In Matthew 19, Jesus tells a rich man to sell everything and follow him to be perfect, but he couldn’t let go of everything. That totally hit home with us! We have sold it all and are following Christ! (Okay… there were a few sentimental things we kept and stored at our parents’ houses.) Crazy? Yes! Are there times we get sad about this? A little.. However, how could we possibly focus on giving everything to Christ wherever we go in the world when we are anxious about the things we own in America?
Are you going to homeschool?
We plan on homeschooling, yes. And we definitely will for at least a period of time. If we arrive at our post, settle in and realize the area has a school nearby that we feel comfortable sending our children to, then we may do that. Again, more PRAYER! It just depends on the situation and where we are. There are missionary families who do it both ways, all ways, I guess.
Isn't it selfish for you and Chris to drag the kids along to fulfill your dream?
Okay, so we’ve never had anyone actually ask this. Maybe this question is more frequently asked in your heads, rather than said out loud, but I think it deserves an answer.
We believe God knew the way to our hearts were through our children, so He showed us how our children would benefit from being missionaries and made us want that FOR THEM! There is something special about missionary kids and we were witnessing that. We wanted our own children to experience that “something special”! We wanted to get into full time mission work as a gift to our children before anything else. The foundation that is being set for them now, in our opinion, is what life is all about. It's a whole lot of family time and a whole lot of Jesus! We are showing them - we are LIVING - how to have total reliance on God. We are not just talking about the gospel, we are LIVING OUT the gospel. We are getting rid of all the distractions and literally stripping down to basics: FAITH, FAMILY, ROOTS AND WINGS! We're doing it for God, for our family, for ourselves and for our children.
How can we best support you?
Prayers - Really. This is THE greatest thing you can do for our family.
Resources- We live off of the financial assistance of our ministry partners. These people are the heart of our ministry, and we are the hands and feet. There is a budget goal we are to meet monthly that will be dedicated to living expenses. Anything over this budget goes straight to the communities we serve. If you feel called to help in this way, go to https://www.familymissionscompany.com/project/cawaldrop/.
You can serve with us!
Can we come and visit you at your mission post?
YES! We would love to have visitors! Just don't expect accommodations like the Four Seasons! Contact us for more information. FMC also offers really great short term (week long) mission trips to many different places in the world, check out their website: familymissionscompany.com. Fair warning: it might change your life and you might end up just like us, doing this full-time!
We have so much poverty and need here in the US, why can't you be missionaries here?
Great question! Yes! There are poor people in the United States. Yes! There are people who need Jesus here as well! We, as a family and as individuals, have done a lot of missionary work here in our own community, praise God, and we would love to talk with you more about that! There ARE, IN FACT, lots of opportunities to preach the gospel and serve the poor in the US. I think if you bring this up, this is clearly a concern of yours - maybe God is calling you!? Pray about it! We encourage everyone to boldly talk about Jesus' love in your communities! Praise Him out loud and often! Pray in public! Tithe! Give alms to the poor! Serve at soup kitchens with the whole family! Start a bible study! Go clean up your local cemetery! Visit the homebound! Ask your parish how you can help as a family! Yes! we have done these things, as I'm sure you do, too, and they are beautiful and wonderful. But now, it is time for our family to do something different. God has called us specifically into FOREIGN missions at this time in our lives and we have said "yes" to this, just as we said "yes" to helping out in our own communities previously.
I love the way one of our missionary friends put it - I won't use his name, although I'm sure he wouldn't care, "Maybe the best thing you can do for your community is to be an example to them, inspire them by leaving the community". Thanks, MG, I love that.
Comments
Post a Comment