Welcome to part two of our Messenger series on the building blocks of missionary care. This month, missionaries to the Mediterranean Rim, Josh and Ali Lowry, speak to Mutual Care, the care that missionaries and teams provide each other.

Mutual Care
Josh and Ali Lowry

The feeling in the room was electric. After months of separation by lockdown, we were finally in the room together. Sure, we’d seen each other regularly on Zoom calls and the like, but to be together physically is something completely different. The joy we felt in the presence of each other went beyond words shared. The Apostle Paul must have known this feeling. In Romans 1:11 he writes, “For I long to see you…”.  In Philippians 1:8 he says, “For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” Again, in 1 Thessalonians 2:17 he writes, “But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face…”  Being together is a core value of the Kingdom of God.  Throughout the New Testament one of the key evidences of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on those who were receiving the Gospel was a willful togetherness. As in Acts 2, people were “added to the community”, “came together”, “broke bread”. 
 
We believe missionary work is best done together. Jesus sent out his disciples in pairs in Luke 10. Peter and John healed the man outside the temple. Paul and Silas went on mission together, and Barnabas went with John Mark. One of the most enjoyable things about our work here in the Med Rim is that we get to do it together with people we love. Most days we load up in a car or van in groups of 2 to 5 and travel a few hours to a refugee camp, coffee bar, or home to meet with a group of people who are open to hearing about Jesus or to train new believers in how to facilitate a discovery Bible study.

We’ve found that going together we are so much more joyful, energized, and effective than going alone. We pray and prepare together; we have multiple perspectives on what’s happening; and we have different strengths and weaknesses that complement each other. But also, there seems to be more power to break through difficult situations and start new work when we are together.  As Jesus said in Matthew 18:19-20, “Truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” We’ve had more than one person who came to the Lord later tell us it was because of the way they saw we love each other that they wanted to know Jesus.

We usually don’t get to choose our neighbors, coworkers, or teammates, and often they are much different than we are. Our team here in the Mediterranean is made up of Syrians, Iranians, Swedes, Greeks and our American family. We come from vastly different cultures, but unite under the banner of King Jesus. We have misunderstandings, get offended sometimes, and are learning how to love each other better, but we have become like a family.

We have a few glimpses in the New Testament of the tensions that arose in the early church when non-Jews first started joining the Christian movement. The Jewish Christians had to choose between clinging to old traditions and laws for their righteousness, such as circumcision that would certainly exclude outsiders, or agreeing with the invitation of Jesus to all nations into his family by faith in his righteousness. When it comes to forming teams and working with others, we all can find things in each other that we don’t like or that even offend us. So, what do we do?

 
In elementary school we were taught, “to have a good friend, you have to be a good friend.” How simple is this! The same applies to us as adults. In our desire to HAVE good teammates, neighbors, or co-workers, we get the opportunity to BE a good teammate, neighbor, and co-worker. God has refined my heart in such a deep way in asking me, “are you what you are asking from others?” In our desire for life-giving community, our focus cannot be “what can others do for me?”, but rather “how can I serve and love, regardless of others’ response toward me?”
 
God’s design for us is to look like Jesus. It’s like he telling us, “You have to become like Me, and love like Me to establish this culture you desire.” It may not be easy! To be culture changers in our families, on teams, at work, or in the nations, we have to begin with ourselves. As a family, here are a few principles we choose to live by in our relationships: honor others, be trustworthy, show mercy, and be grateful.
 
To honor others is to view and treat them as the people God made them to be. It isn’t dependent on their behavior or reciprocation. We can add value to people by treating them as if they are already royalty (2 Cor. 5:16). This applies to all people, no matter their age, economic background, education, race, etc. 
 
We desire to be a trustworthy people, discreet and not exposing the issues of our people to one another. Love covers and we desire to do the same. We’ve found in living this way it’s possible to earn the opportunity and position in peoples’ lives to help bring freedom and healing. Often people will choose to do the same for you.
 
Right alongside this, we desire to be merciful. We want to make allowance for the faults of others rather than be fault-finders. We usually see more of whatever we are looking for in others, whether faults or strength. Jesus said the merciful will receive mercy. Knowing how much mercy we need, it’s practical to show it to others! 
 
Finally, we desire to be grateful for the people God puts in our lives. When we were in quarantine after traveling last spring, we were amazed at how well we were cared for. The owner of the local fruit and vegetable store brought us groceries, along with our teammates who made sure we had everything we need. We have many local friends who are business owners, doctors, teachers, lawyers, mechanics, butchers, bakers, (still looking for a candlestick maker) who we lean on to live life with rather than just depending on other expats.

Our kids play sports and have school friends who have become family friends, our dentists are dear friends as well. We know people who work at all of our “frequented” places such as grocery stores, restaurants and gas stations. All of this has allowed us to better integrate into our society and culture and feel more at home here. The more we engage in relationships and not become self-reliant, the more open doors we have to families, friends, and sharing Jesus with people who are very hungry for Him. 
 
We all bear God’s image, and we all have flaws. Let us partner with Jesus, allowing Him to change our culture beginning with us. Like in Acts 11 when Barnabas went to Antioch and saw the grace of God among the believers, this is what the world sees and longs to be part of.  As we join in the mission of Jesus we get to be part of creating work environments, teams, and family units where God’s grace is evident.  We can trust Him to care for us as we long to look like Him and take care of His kingdom. Oh God, that we would be the ones changed!