What is participating in missions?

 I am very happy to be able to write to you and tell you a little more about what we are doing here in the mission field.

Well, can you look at the picture I sent you? This photo was taken by a group of evangelists in the northern region of Bolivia, bordering Peru. I tried several times to visit this region, but I couldn't make the trip. I really wanted to take the Word of God to these people, be at street fairs, talk about Jesus to the people, but I was stopped many times.

But God showed me a long time ago that when I support whoever is doing it, I am also present with them. One day, God used several people to say to me, "You will bring the Word to places where your feet will never tread." But how do I get the Word to places where my feet will never step? This is possible because I support going to these places. This is my job. The project we developed is called Evangelistic Support Program. Do you understand now?

But how can someone be with me doing work in the Kingdom of God if that person doesn't want to? How is this person going to be on my side if he doesn't have the same vision of what I do? So there's no reason for a person to send money for work I do if that person doesn't have the same vision that I do.

The money in someone's pocket is the result of exchanging time, effort and knowledge. Why would anyone give their time, effort and knowledge for a job they have no vision for? Why would you give the effort, time and knowledge if you don't want to be by my side?

This is why I don't ask for money to support the work we do in God's work, but we want participants. You have received our emails, our videos, many photos and you know what we do.

You already know about the Evangelistic Support Program and the hundreds of evangelists who are going to hospitals, prisons, preaching in the streets, street fairs, house by house and receive free leaflets, booklets, Saint John's Gospel, New Testaments, Bibles and other materials that we work hard to get and get into their hands. This work is done not with government money, from a businessman who invests through sponsorship, but through the participation of servants of the Lord Jesus who love souls and want to see the gospel reach the people. Now do you understand why we are looking for participants?

Have you seen our Mission for Compassion videos? Have you read some of our emails talking about what God has done in the lives of children who arrive on mission? Many were sexually abused by stepfathers, uncles, neighbors and were used as prostitutes to earn money for their own parents. They arrived at the base and didn't look you in the eye, but today they preach the gospel of Jesus to others. We don't seek money from anyone to do this work, but we want participants

Only those who participate have true love. He doesn't offer the leftovers, he doesn't deliver in a greedy way, but he is a true participant in what is done in the field of missions.

I want to end this letter by telling you what happened to me. God did not ask for my share, a part of me, of my time, effort and knowledge, but the Lord Jesus asked for my life in service. At the time I could not go to the mission field, as I was still in the army, but the Lord revealed to me the participation.

I made a small box to keep money and in that box I deposited my participatory offering. I adopted a missionary who was in Africa and was happy to put my time, effort and knowledge into that little box. At the end of the month I would put it all together and send it to the missionary.

The missionary wrote to me by letter. Inside came a small sheet and along with it came a photo. It was usually a picture of an activity carried out there in the mission field. That was a real treasure for me. I saw that photo and I saw myself inserted in the photo, I was a participant in that missionary work. Not only did I send my participatory offering, but I constantly prayed for the missionary, his family, and the work being done.

One day I opened my financial notebook. I started to look at my monthly expenses and noticed that I spent more on Coca Cola, humburgers, pizza, ice cream and many frivolous things than missions. The Spirit of God tells me, "Is this how you surrender your life to me? Is this how you participate in missions? I asked for your life and you are giving me the rest."

I don't want to say that pizza and ice cream are sins, but I was really giving what I had left for missions. I was not participating, giving myself, but offering what I really had left.

I asked the Lord Jesus for forgiveness. I gave my life to the Master's cause and not the leftovers of my life. So I became more diligent with my time, effort, and knowledge (money). In addition to the participatory offerings, I spent whole days giving to the Lord Jesus and his cause. That is, how much is my working day worth? I did the math and started to give days to the Lord Jesus.

The days I gave to the Lord Jesus I wrote down in my notebook. I was the first to arrive at work and the last to leave, because that day was unusual, but it belonged to the Lord. I didn't decrease my offerings, I didn't miss my tithe in church and I still gave whole days of work to the Lord Jesus.

How much do you participate in God's work? What is your participation in the missions service?

God bless you

Peniel Nogueira Dourado