I know that most of you who read this are not, nor have ever been, full-time missionaries living in a foreign country far from home. That is why you should read it.

I have been.

Putting aside the God-call aspect of a missionary living in said foreign country, why is it that we Americans act like such brutes when it comes to our financial support of the missionary? We tend to view the American-born missionary as a second class citizen; our view of the national-born missionary is several rungs lower.

I just read a blog entitled “How Not to Drop a Missionary’s Support” and I’ll readily admit that “Amen!” was on my lips. Actually, “You’re dang right!” was what I said.

You should go read it right now!

Not all missionaries should be on the field; not all missionaries have been called to be there; some should come home and quit giving Jesus a black eye. But that doesn’t give us the right to simply leave them stranded, or worse, not even let them know why we quit sending their salary.

You have no idea what it feels like to be 5,000 miles from “home” and to realize that you’re stuck, unable to pay your bills, unable to put food on the table for your children, unable to even come back to the U.S. to try to rectify the situation… unless you’ve been there.

I have been.

We are supposed to be Jesus to the world; does that give us a license to exclude the missionary?