How to Pray For POMs

How to Pray for Parents of Missionaries

"Is it easier to go to a foreign field yourself or to see your children go?", asked a missionary parent.

Family members left behind like parents, grandparents, and siblings feel a sense of loss when their loved ones go to a foreign field. Some they liken it to a death in the family. Often there are feelings of gratitude for children obedient to God mixed with the real sense of loss when they leave. Yes, even those who have prayed for missionaries all their lives and ask God to send workers into the harvest still feel the hurt of separation when their own go.

------------------------------------------------

Here's how you can pray for parents of missionaries, and how POMs can pray for themselves and other POMs too.

Pray that POMs will:

1. Experience the comfort the Holy Spirit promises in times of need.

2. Accept and support the missionary calling of their son or daughter.

3. Realize that their acceptance and support will strongly affect their son or daughter's happiness and effectiveness as a missionary.

4. Resolve any issues with their adult child and say good-bye well.

5. Know joy that God has chosen their son or daughter for a particular task, and that their child has been obedient to God's call.

6. Establish and maintain frequent communication with their missionary son or daughter and his or her family.

7. Find a loving support group or network that understands and appreciates them.

8. Be able to speak honestly with their friends about their feelings and to deal with their grief in healthy ways.

9. Take initiative and find creative ways to develop and maintain connection with their grandchildren even across the miles.

10. Consider seeking out other young people at home who need love, mentoring, and encouragement.

(Adapted from an article by Gerald and June McNeely in Parents as Partners, a publication of the IMB of the SBC.)

-----------------------------------------

Please add our parents (both sides) to your prayer list as they will be affected by our family serving in Chile.