Missionaries Are Supposed To Suffer

one couple. About 9 minutes.

Excerpt:

(Frank and Edith walk on stage and remove their coats, they have just arrived home.)

EDITH: Wasn’t that missionary speaker interesting tonight? I really enjoyed that.

FRANK: Yes. I think it is very exciting to hear about the work that they are doing. Missionaries always impress me so much. They are always so dedicated to their work.

EDITH: They do a very important work.

FRANK: Probably the most important work! I really believe that
mission work is the most important thing there is! That’s why I am so devoted to it.

EDITH: Sure, sure. I noticed that you put some money in the
offering tonight.

FRANK: I didn’t know how much the Lord wanted me to give, so I just reached into my wallet and pulled out whatever was in there and tossed it in the plate.

EDITH: So, you gave $5?

FRANK: I don’t know. Was it?

EDITH: It must have been. You never keep more than $5 in your
wallet.

FRANK: Well, that is because I get stopped on the street sometimes by homeless people, and when I open my wallet, all I have to give them is $5. I think that is the right amount. It will buy them a meal. If you give them more than that… they just spend it on booze and cigarettes.

EDITH: That is so smart. (She opens her bible) I brought home one of their support cards. They have a place on here where you can mark down that you will be a prayer partner and then whether or not you want to support them.

FRANK: Oh, definitely put down that we will pray for them. That is the most important thing. You know, they say that all the time, how they want prayer support most of all.

EDITH: Oh yes. I agree. It is the most important thing. Since we
are so dedicated to missions, we will surely pray for them as… often…as… we can. (Say this rather sheepishly, since she knows that they won’t remember to pray very much)

FRANK: Get a magnet and stick that on our fridge. That way we will be reminded to pray for them.

EDITH: Should I put it on the door?

FRANK: No, that is for the kids’ pictures. Put it on the side.
We’ll still see it over there.

EDITH: Good idea. What do you think about the financial support?

FRANK: Oh, sure. We should do that, too; especially since they
gave such an excellent presentation. You know, some missionaries who come, just don’t give very good presentations, and they don’t have that knack for public speaking. This couple…they were both very good.

EDITH: Oh, I agree. That was why I thought you might want to
consider supporting them this time. We have never done that before.

FRANK: Oh, I’ve supported missionaries before. Just not that way. You know, sign up and be accountable like that. I understand why they do that, because they have to prove to the mission board that they will have enough support.

EDITH: Did they say how much they have now? I don’t remember.

FRANK: No, they don’t tell you that stuff. If they sound like they
have enough, then folks won’t support them. And if they sound like they have too little…then folks think that they are not very good at what they do, and if no one wants to support them, why should I?

EDITH: So, you don’t want to do it, then?

FRANK: Oh, I didn’t say that. I think it is important. We
definitely should pray about it. It is a big commitment. You know, we need to go over our finances and see how much we can really afford to let go of.

EDITH: Of course. Well, I think we are doing fine. We both have
nice paying jobs. You make $75,000 a year and I make $60,000 a year. Our savings has quite a bit in it.

FRANK: Don’t forget that we have that vacation planned.

EDITH: That’s right. There is that vacation. We have to make sure we have enough for our vacation.

FRANK: The printing of the B’ghiva Mulanghi New Testament is NOT going to keep us from seeing Wayne Newton in Vegas.

EDITH: We’ve been planning that trip for a long time!

FRANK: Don’t get me wrong, Edith. I’m not saying our vacation is more important that missions.

EDITH: No, of course not.

FRANK: I think missions are the most important work in the universe. What our church does is not even as important. By the way, do you know if the church is supporting this couple? I’d be curious to know how much a month they get from the church.

EDITH: You could probably call the treasurer and ask him how much.

FRANK: I might do that…just to get an idea of what kind of support they are getting and what they need. He knows a lot of stuff. He might even know their support level.

EDITH: Do you think Charlie Bledsoe knows all of that?

FRANK: Charlie Bledsoe!? When did he get to be treasurer? I don’t remember that! Why, he can’t handle finances! Whoever thought that he should be treasurer? I could do that job a lot better than him!

EDITH: Yes, I know, Dear….but whenever they ask you to be anything at the church, you always decline.

FRANK: I can’t do everything, Edith. You know, sometimes you just have to say “no” and that way it forces someone else to get their feet wet and do something once in awhile. It is the same thing in supporting missionaries. If you give too much, and the missionary reaches the level he needs, then other folks will not give. They won’t see a need. Thus you have caused them to miss out on the blessing of giving. That is why we have to be very careful as we consider this support thing.

EDITH: So, what amount were you thinking about, Dear? They want an actual amount in here that you will commit to giving every single month.

FRANK: What amount were you thinking about? I think we should make sure we are in agreement on the amount

EDITH: Ummm…I don’t know.

FRANK: We don’t want to give them TOO MUCH. Missionaries are supposed to suffer. It’s all part of being a missionary. They know that. We don’t want to cheat them out of the great growth that suffering brings by allowing them a comfortable financial life. They could become less dependant upon God. Having very little forces them to depend more upon the Lord and so they pray more and have more spiritual growth.

EDITH: I never thought of that. That is a really good point. You
sure know a lot about missions. Well, we do have a little extra,
but I also wanted to get that extra TV for the kitchen.

FRANK: You have wanted that for a long time. You should really get that, Dear. I don’t want to deprive you any longer.

EDITH: Thank you, Dear. But even with the TV, I think we can afford to do something. Does $10 sound like a good amount?

FRANK: You are talking about a monthly amount, right? You have to look at the big picture. $10 a month is $120 a year. $120 is a lot of money to a missionary. Most of those third world countries have a totally different money system than us, and just a few pennies over here is like dollars over there. A little goes a long ways.

EDITH: Oh, I didn’t know that. I thought I remembered them saying that things were expensive over there.

FRANK: No, I don’t think you understood them correctly. You see, things are expensive for the people who live there. They are very poor and can’t afford anything. But if you come in with American dollars, you can buy everything!

EDITH: You sure know a lot about the world economy.

FRANK: I try to stay informed on these things.

EDITH: So, getting back to the amount. How does $5 sound? That would be $60 a year.

FRANK: And in 5 years, we would have given them $300!