Missions Resources

On Mission

Just Open the Door: How One Invitation Can Change a Generation 
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Just Open the Door - Bible Study Book: A Study of Biblical Hospitality 
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Jen Schmidt has set out to reframe how we think about hospitality and to equip us to walk a road of welcome in our daily lives. Jen knows that every time we choose open-door living—whether in our homes or by taking hospitality on the road just like Jesus—those we invite in get to experience the lived-out Gospel, our kids grow up in a life-lab of generosity, and we trade insecurity for connection.

Just Open the Door is a personal yes-you-can guide to offering the life-changing gift of invitation. Whether you’re a seasoned host looking for renewed inspiration or a nervous newbie not sure where to begin, these personal stories, practical ideas, and poignant insights will give you the confidence you need to see your home as the most likely location for changing the world around you, one open door at a time.


Across the Street and Around the World: Following Jesus to the Nations in Your Neighborhood...and Beyond
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Could God use ordinary me to change the world?
In the middle of diapers, dishes, papers, or presentations, deep down, we long to live a life of purpose, with a bit of adventure. But if we do something, we think we have to do everything—and do it in Africa. In Across the Street and Around the World, Jeannie Marie shows us we can change the world right where we already live, work, play, and study—by learning to grow genuine, spiritually deep friendships with people from other countries, cultures, and faiths.
In a refreshing “you-can-do-this-too” style, Marie leads us by the hand with clear steps, try-it sections, and beautifully crafted prayers. She gently guides us away from common cultural missteps, so we can offer Jesus in a winsome way, while honoring culture, faith, and family. With confidence, courage and compassion, we’ll start small, start soon, and start somewhere we already are, by first going across the street—which just may lead us around the world!

Worldview

Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation / Jason Mandryk, 2010
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Operation World, the definitive global prayer handbook, has been used by more than a million Christians to pray for the nations. Whether you are an intercessor praying behind the scenes for world change, a missionary abroad or simply curious about the world, Operation World will give you the information necessary to play a vital role in fulfilling the Great Commission.

Biography

Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret / by Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor
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Mountain Rain: A Biography of James O. Fraser, Pioneer Missionary of China / by Eileen Crossman, 2001
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James Fraser was only 22 years old when he abandoned a promising engineering career and went to China. At first sight of the Lisu tribespeople of Yunnan province he felt an immediate affection for them. For the rest of his life, he traveled on horseback over rugged mountains, laboring to bring the Lisu the good news of Christ. Packed with personal letters, insightful anecdotes, and riveting stories of missionary life in China, this superb biography by his daughter shines with God's constant faithfulness and power over evil.
 
Through Gates of Splendor / by Elisabeth Elliot
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Through Gates of Splendor is the true story of five young missionaries who were savagely killed while trying to establish communication with the Auca Indians of Ecuador. The story is told through the eyes of Elisabeth Elliot, the wife of one of the young men who was killed.
 
Walking His Trail: Signs of God Along the Way / by Steve Saint, 2007
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Steve Saint, author of the best-selling autobiography End of the Spear, returns with a series of adventurous, inspiring stories of how God makes himself known through both the dramatic and the seemingly mundane events of life. While walking God's trail all over the world, Steve has spotted the Creator's hand at work in many significant life moments―from finding the love of his life to befriending the tribe that murdered his missionary father; from living in the Ecuadorian jungle to creating a major motion picture and presenting it before the United Nations. Sometimes triumphant, sometimes tragic, Steve's invariably thrilling tales are those of a born storyteller.
 
Don’t Let the Goats Eat the Loquat Trees / Thomas Hale, 1986
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Dr. Hale writes about his incredible experience of being a missionary surgeon in tiny, mountainous Nepal, a primarily Hindu country.  The book is sensitive, warm, honest, incredibly funny, and filled with important truths illustrated from unusual and sometimes unimaginable situations.

Community Development

Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help, And How to Reverse It / by Robert D. Lupton, 2012
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Veteran urban activist Robert Lupton reveals the shockingly toxic effects that modern charity has upon the very people meant to benefit from it. Toxic Charity provides proven new models for charitable groups who want to help—not sabotage—those whom they desire to serve.  This groundbreaking work shows us how to start serving needy and impoverished members of our communities in a way that will lead to lasting, real-world change.
 
When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor… and Yourself / by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, 2014
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Poverty is much more than simply a lack of material resources, and it takes much more than donations and handouts to solve it. When Helping Hurts shows how some alleviation efforts, failing to consider the complexities of poverty, have actually (and unintentionally) done more harm than good.
But it looks ahead. It encourages us to see the dignity in everyone, to empower the materially poor, and to know that we are all uniquely needy—and that God in the gospel is reconciling all things to himself.
Focusing on both North American and Majority World contexts, When Helping Hurts provides proven strategies for effective poverty alleviation, catalyzing the idea that sustainable change comes not from the outside in, but from the inside out.
 
 
A Mind For Missions: Ten Ways to Build Your World Vision / Paul Borthwick, 1987
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In these pages you’ll discover 10 building blocks for sensitizing yourself or your group to the needs beyond our borders.  From prayers and giving to current events and lifestyle choices, Borthwick leads you to practical ways of sharpening your world vision right where you live.

For Children

George Mueller: The Guardian of Bristol’s Orphans (Christian Heroes: Then & Now) / by Geoff Benge and Janet Benge, 1999
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Hudson Taylor: Deep in the Heart of China (Christian Heroes: Then & Now) / by Janet Benge
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Gladys Aylward: The Adventure of a Lifetime (Christian Heroes: Then & Now) / by Janet Benge
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Cameron Townsend: Good News in Every Language (Christian Heros: Then & Now) / by Geoff Benge and Janet Benge
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Window on the World: An Operation World Prayer Resource / Edited by Molly Wall and Jason Mandryk
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Window on the World is your ticket to travel around the world! If you appreciate Operation World as an adult, your kids will love this invaluable and age-appropriate prayer resource that develops cultural, political, and geographical awareness through a Christian lens. Find out how God is changing the lives of families everywhere through prayer―from the frozen Arctic to the hottest desert, on the highest mountains and in crowded cities.