Do you know any missionaries?
When you think about missionaries most of us think of heading overseas to some faraway land and spending years evangelizing people of very different beliefs—or in many cases, no real beliefs at all when it comes to God.
But many people are missionaries in our own city since they have dedicated their lives to a particular cause and sacrificed a lot to do it. One person who specifically comes to mind is Cindy Collins, who has headed the Pregnancy Help Center in Slidell for as long as I have been playing reporter.
I have great admiration for the work she has done, which has been a ministry relying solely on private donations ever since it started nearly 40 years ago. Yet, God has been faithful to her, helping the ministry grow a few years back to add a focus on sex trafficking of young girls. The work she has done is so amazing to me and I always try to promote the organization in the hopes of them getting more support.
When my wife and I first became Christians in our late 20s we began to attend a church called New Jerusalem here in Slidell. Headed by Jerry Cocran, a former Slidell High graduate who worked with South Central Bell before he got saved and eventually became a full-time pastor. The church was very big on supporting missionaries all around the world.
I remember the way Jerry talked to the congregation about it and made it clear that even though we don’t all feel called to leave our homes and head to another country, we can support a piece of that work through prayers and financial donations. I always liked the idea of doing something to support the work of missionaries, since I positively never thought God was calling me in that direction. I’m much happier being a local newspaper man!
Fast forward over 30 years and the most ironic thing has happened. My wife and I, along with two of our daughters and their kids, are back at the same church, which is now called Generations Church and pastored by Jerry’s son, Chad.
Not surprisingly, for more than one reason, Chad is also a big supporter of many different missionaries, and he told the congregation that the church gives 10 percent of its money to missionaries around the world.
Chad learned about missionaries and their importance when he was a young boy in his dad’s church, then he later felt called to go out on his own and moved to Thailand, where he stayed for almost 20 years before returning home a few years ago to eventually become pastor of the renamed New Jerusalem Church.
The church held a special service recently when over 20 missionaries appeared on stage and told their stories, and it was incredibly inspiring to hear what some people have done in the name of serving the Lord. More than spreading the Gospel, they build churches, water systems and provide tremendous help for some of these communities—many that are far out in jungles or hard to reach areas.
While we probably take for granted the abundance and freedom of worship opportunities in the United States, that is hardly the case around the world. Thankfully, there are people like the ones we heard from who are doing the hard work, such as one couple who has lived on a chicken farm in China for 18 years, just so they could evangelize others to Jesus Christ.
One man, who represents an international organization called Evangel Bible Translators, leads a work to translate a Bible from languages most of us have never heard of. They have already created Bibles for several hundred languages that never had it before.
Look at a few of the languages they are currently working on: Chorti in Guatemala, Paniya in Asia, Lamkang in Asia and Kobor in Myanmar. Those are the languages and the countries waiting for their first Bibles ever. It’s amazing to know this work is going on every day around the world, funded by individuals like you and I in hometown churches who give to their efforts.
Other missionaries talked about the lack of Christian churches in other countries, such as the Arab world where there is only one church for every million people. But many of these missionaries are also planting churches around the world, like one man who went to Africa and the Mid-East over 20 years ago, and has been involved in planting over 30 churches, with over 1,000 believers now in each church.
I could go on, but you get the picture. Missionaries around the world are doing amazing work that most of us know nothing about. But most local congregations have connections to supporting missionaries, some local and most far away.
I am thankful for my life in this wonderful United States, and right here in Slidell. I never felt a call to leave it all behind and be a missionary, so I have great respect and appreciation for the work so many others are doing.
If you attend a local church that supports missionaries in any way, I hope you do what you can to contribute to the cause. When you do, the day may come when you open your eyes in heaven and talk to someone from China, or Lebanon, or wherever—and realize you played a part in giving them a better life.
Kevin Chiri can be reached by e-mail at kevinchiri@gmail.com.