Supporting missions isn’t just for grown-ups.
As parents, our primary goal in raising children is to develop kids who love and worship God rightly. That includes teaching them how to disciple others and to support disciple-making endeavors such as missionaries and mission agencies.
Our children get birthday money, chore money, and maybe even allowances. Most of our children are wealthier than many adults in other countries, so let’s teach them how to use their affluence for the kingdom.
Here are some ways I’ve seen families support us and ideas we’ve done as well.
1. Join In Monthly Support
As you partner with missionaries on a monthly basis, consider including your children. If they are young, have them chip in a couple of bucks a month from chore money, birthday or allowance. Make a big deal about it!
In one family, the teenagers contribute $20 a month, and the parents do $50. Once your teens go off on their own, encourage them to continue on their own and if possible bump their giving up to $50.
2. Run Your Own Service Project
Last fall, friends of ours asked everyone they knew if they could their rake yard. They were so booked up they couldn’t even rake ours! Then they donated all the money to missions. Their kids had a blast, people were ministered to, and the gospel went out because of their sacrifice. Think of something you and your kids could do together to serve others.
3. Garage Sale
Have your kids contribute their unused toys or even something of value to the family garage sale and donate the proceeds to a missionary. Make a sign at the checkout table with the picture and name of the missionary and encourage donations above and beyond the purchase price. Who knows, maybe you could even get them a monthly supporter!
Also, consider having your kids bake items to sell. People are suckers for baked goods!
4. Send Care Packages
Missionaries love to receive care packages. Especially our children! School supplies, the Superbowl on DVD, clothing, or candy (Twizzlers) that may not be available in their part of the world. Your kids will have fun picking out items or even buying things with their own money to put in the box.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you ask what they need. It’s sad to open a package full of things you can get at the shop across the street, or get something expensive when all you need is a box of Mac N Cheese! Remember, each missionary misses or needs different items.
5. Teach Them To Pray For Missionaries
At prayer time, get pictures of the missionaries you support and pray for them by name. Have your kids take turns praying, even if it’s simple. We have a spinning wheel app (like Wheel of Fortune) with different people and pray points on it. Our kids love spinning the wheel!
This would also imply that you contact your missionaries once in a while for their latest requests or follow their newsletters. Have your kids write or email them and ask for specific points. Even ask the missionary to pray for your requests! Missionaries love to pray for their supporters and we want to teach our children to pray as well.
Make sure to let the missionary know you prayed for them, they need the encouragement!