It takes a family to send a missionary…

I’ve seen plenty of missionaries head to the field. I helped support them, pray for them, and shared their newsletters with the congregation.

But I’ve never stored their junk…their furniture…their boxes…for YEARS!

Without our families, Nancy and I would never make it to the field with sanity. We have lived with family for months. Our belongings are stored in a sibling’s garage…and basement…and shed! Nancy’s sister can sign our checks, my parents receive and open our mail, and Nancy’s parents have put up with us in the basement for dozens of weeks over the last year.

We have family who are storing my hunting gear and game mounts (I had a lot of volunteers for those!). And it will be family that will help us get our piles of luggage to the airport in three weeks.

Yes…it takes a family to send a missionary.

Oh, I know that it takes more than that to get to the field. We are so thankful for the 130 churches and individuals that have pledged and given in support. And we have almost 1200 people who intercede and pray for us regularly. But as we approach this Mother’s Day, I want to stop and say thanks…to our family…to our moms…to our dads.

Thanks for believing in us. Thanks for supporting us. Thanks for caring for us. In three weeks,

I know we will leave behind some people with tears in their eyes. They will be saying good-bye to their kids, their grandkids, their siblings, and their nieces. They’ll have a little anxiety for us, our safety, our sanity, and definitely for our three precious girls.

So may I plant a little thought in your mind this Mother’s Day? Take a week and forget us missionaries…and call a missionary’s parents and family. Encourage them, pray for them, and treat as they are…heroes.

Thankful for a great family,

Andy Raatz