His Heart, His Hands, His Voice

Does it seem possible that December is just around the corner? The Christmas season is upon us! It's time for candy canes, heartwarming holiday movies, hot chocolate, lights, and some rockin' around the Christmas tree. It's also time for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering! If you don't go to a Southern Baptist church, you may not know what that is, but it is the annual offering to support international missions. Every penny given to Lottie Moon is used to support Southern Baptist missionaries as they share the Gospel overseas. The offering represents 57% of the total budget for the mission board, and is critical to supporting the nearly 5,000 workers currently on the field. I just came across the following stats and the numbers even surprised me: 

What is the average cost to support an individual missionary?

• $46,700 a year 

• $3,890 a month

• $900 a week

• $128 a day

• $5.30 an hour

• $.09 a minute

(Reported April 2011. Includes housing, salary, 

children's education, medical expenses, retirement, and more.)

Yikes! Missionaries seem kind of expensive, but I guess when you consider what it costs to support an average person in America for salary, housing, insurance, fees, etc., that's not so much. And when you consider what the cost is of not sending anyone, that people might spend eternity separated from God...well that's a cost we can't afford to pay. So check of this video and prayerfully consider what you can do to be involved with international missions:

If you're a Southern Baptist, do what you can to be a part of the annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, and if you're not, take time this month to find out how you can support other missionaries and organizations that are working to take the love of Jesus to the ends of the earth. 

And while giving to the LMCO is always good, consider how else you can be His heart, His hands, and His voice to a lost and hurting world during the coming new year. What are you willing to do? 

Pray? 

Give?

Go?

(To read more stories of how your Lottie Moon Christmas Offering helps reach people with the Gospel, check out this site.)