Play a bit of Jeopardy with me for a moment.
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Here is the answer: $300,000 +.
No, It’s not “What is the cost of a new house.”
Nor, “What does the average professional athlete pay for a sports car?”
It has nothing to do with medical bills.
The question is: “What does it cost for a major corporation to place a higher
level employee in an overseas location?” The answer according to a survey of
half-a-dozen international corporations is, more than $300K. Let’s suppose that
this claim is double the real cost. Still, I find it jaw-dropping to consider
the upfront costs of placing a qualified person in an expat situation.
Why should I care? Why do I even
bring it up?
It’s because mission agencies
place well qualified people in expat situations all the time. Even though we do
it much more economically than IBM or Exxon, it is still a huge investment that
should be protected.
Let’s take this a step further:
Missionaries aren’t projects or
mere investments. They are people created in God’s image, servants of the King
sent as ambassadors to needy and, yes, sometimes dangerous places, where they
can have a profound impact for time and eternity. They are people who fit in
the same category as Epaphroditus. Take time to meet him in Philippians
2:25-30; it’s worth the brief trip. They are people who should be “honored.” As
another passage put it—the application is mine—these are people “of whom the
world is not worthy” (Hebrews 11:38)
So what does this have to do with
a retired ministry couple named Kathy and Howard? Folk like this deserve to be
cared for. Caring for them makes sense in regard to the importance of pursuing
Great Commission ministry. The life that Kathy and I have lived gives us a
wealth of experience from which to draw in reaching out to this worthy group of
people. We can do that. We won’t be missionaries, at least not in the usual
meaning of the word, but we will be helping the missionaries of LMUSA hang in
there in the work to which the Lord has called them
I have taken on a part-time role as
“Member-Care Associate” with Liebenzell Mission USA, the mission with we served
at Pacific Islands University. Here are a few particulars:
·
We aren’t seeking support for our living
expenses, though we have an account with LMUSA that will cover ministry related
traveling expenses, etc. If you want to help us with that, we can talk.
·
We very much appreciate your prayers. Like real
missionaries we’ll be sending out periodic updates on our work. If you would
like to be a part of our mailing list, either email or postal, let us know.
·
We hope to promote a culture of caring for
missionaries. We’d be glad to talk to you, or the leaders in your church, about
missions and/or caring for missionaries. We are open to ministering in various
venues.
Perhaps you have questions or
thoughts about what we are doing. If so, please send us a note. Our old PIU
email addresses don’t work anymore. HM’s
address is covbchm@gmail.com or hmerrell@liebenzellusa.org.
Kathy’s is kmusiq@gmail.com. We are putting together a new mailing list.
If you want to receive our updates, drop us a line.
By His Grace,
H&K Merrell
Helping to reach others by helping those who
reach
