What Is the Role of Christian Missionaries in Modern Society?
The role of Christian missionaries is to preach Jesus Christ’s message, yet their responsibilities extend far beyond sharing the Good News. They seek to care for their communities in practical ways, establishing educational facilities and providing health care services and food programs for people who are struggling. Missionaries provide spiritual healing alongside physical assistance to demonstrate to people that they are not abandoned, that God loves them and that there are prospects for a better future.
Take Sahlma’s story, for example.[1] The small village where Sahlma lived with her family was nestled between steep hills and deep valleys, making life very demanding. An earthquake struck her town when she was only nine years old, destroying everything in its path, including her family’s home and all their belongings. Survival became the main, daily concern for Sahlma and many other families who had lost everything.
Relief organizations supported by GFA delivered both food and shelter to the survivors as these shaken people wondered how they could start rebuilding their lives after such a disaster. Sahlma’s parents looked for work in a nearby town to provide for the family. Even though she was only 9 years old, Sahlma, instead of going to school, became a porter to bring in the extra money needed to feed her siblings. The job required her to transport heavy groceries, firewood and sand between the hillsides, grueling physical labor which a young girl should never have been forced to perform.
The arduous work led to declining physical and emotional health for Sahlma. She spent each day in a state of fatigue while struggling to focus on anything other than completing her tasks. Studies indicate that children working under these conditions risk both their health and future development,[2] but Sahlma had no alternative but to work.
But then something changed. The child sponsorship program staff from GFA World learned about Sahlma’s current situation. The staff members immediately reached out to extend her a helping hand and offered enrollment for her in the program. The program sponsorship covered school expenses and provided healthy food and academic support for the young girl. Sahlma no longer carried the burden of the world on her back. In joy and with tears in her eyes, she exclaimed at the delicious food she now received every day through the program.
With her needs satisfied, Sahlma dedicated herself to schoolwork and her future aspirations. She took her studies seriously and showed a particular interest in both mathematics and reading. Sahlma, freed from daily work responsibilities, began to envision numerous possibilities in her future.
Sahlma aspires to become a social worker to assist children in need, having experienced this situation herself. She expresses her wish to bring happiness to people afflicted by pain because she knows what love and support mean to her from her personal experience.
Sahlma’s story is evidence that Christian missionaries play an essential role because they both spread the Good News and assist people in life reconstruction, helping them overcome barriers and achieve positive outcomes. Such missionary work provides Sahlma, along with other children, the opportunity to build a better future. Missionaries serve as agents of transformation, delivering both physical and spiritual support to achieve life-changing results.
Discover opportunities to support Christian missionaries through GFA World[1] “A Burden Slides off Preteen Girl’s Back.” GFA World. January 2022. https://www.gfa.org/news/articles/a-burden-slides-off-preteen-girls-back-wfr22-01.
[2] Doocy, Shannon, Brian Crawford, Chantelle Boudreaux, and Earl Wall. “The Risks and Impacts of Portering on the Well-Being of Children in Nepal.” Journal of Tropical Pediatrics 53, no. 3 (June 2007): 165–70. https://doi.org/10.1093/tropej/fmm004.