• Church,  Missionaries,  Missions

    The Stepchildren Of The Churches?

    The Stepchildren Of The Churches? Gardiner was the last to die. One by one he and his companions had been weakened through starvation, cold, and disease until they could no longer stand. In vain Gardiner watched and prayed for the supply ship from England until his eyes, too, were dimmed in death. The last entry in his diary reads, ” Great and marvellous are the loving kindnesses of my gracious God unto me. He has preserved me hitherto, and for four days, although without bodily food, without any feeling of hunger or thirst.” Forty-six days later a British navy ship dropped anchor and sent a boat ashore, only to find…

  • Missionaries,  Missions

    Missionaries Are People Too

    Missionaries Are People Too At 4:00 P.M. a dusty van pulls up to the church. The passengers peer through finger-printed windows at the only car in the parking lot. Is it the pastor’s? The janitor’s? Or just an abandoned vehicle? “Oh, please let the church be open,” Mom breathes. Dad hops out with an “I’ll-only-be-a-little-while” look over his shoulder. To Mom, this translates, “Keep the kids in their straitjackets another 45 minutes while I find out what plans the pastor has for us. Mom sighs. Is it worth crawling over two unfurled sleeping bags, four wired kids and a van full of odds and ends just to use this brief…

  • Missionaries,  Missions

    Ideas for a Well-stocked Missionary Cupboard

    Ideas for a Well-stocked Missionary Cupboard As a missionary arrives to minister at your church, it is a real pleasure to be able to take them (all of them or just the wife) to the missionary cupboard and allow them to get things they need. The number of items given will be up to the church. Keep in mind the size of their family and their ability to get it back to the country they are from. Also keep in mind that since all countries are different as to what a missionary can bring in without either it getting “lost” or having to pay a heavy duty the bigger and…