Try to imagine the following emotions that are felt at one time or the other by those who have moved overseas to preach the gospel:

* The lonely ache in the pit of your stomach that comes from the depression of culture stress... The deep longing for home... You feel that you do not belong, you are out of place and an oddity.
* Stammering with a foreign language as a clerk, bureaucrat or bus driver looks at you as if you were crazy... You wonder if they might be right and you are crazy.
* The questions that surge in your mind as you meet once again in a small room on Sunday with two or three other saints, "What am I doing here?" "Are we playing church?"

* The deep satisfaction and confidence that comes the moment you realize for the first time that a contact is understanding the gospel as you teach him in his own tongue.
* Seeing that first person you've taught obey the gospel after months of struggle...
* Seeing growing love and increasing independence among babes in Christ that you have taught in what was once "virgin territory"... Seeing Christ formed in them!

Those considering preaching overseas as well as those congregations who would support them, will do well to prepare themselves for the unique kinds of joy and pain that accompany that special work. Suggestions often made by wise, experienced men and women can help in making preparations. Consider the following brief summary.

(1) Make sure that your family is willing and able. Men who push their wives or try to shame them into going overseas violate I Peter 3:7 and threaten the stability of their home. Not all women and children have the robustness that is needed to begin a new life in another country. This lack of "ruggedness" is not necessarily an indication of lack of faith or love for lost souls, but simply a sign that their personality is not suited for the culture shock that accompanies foreign evangelism.
Those families that cannot live overseas, can still support world evangelism in countless other ways.

(2) Go with a group of people. The agony of culture shock is much easier to deal with when there is a group of fellow workers to lean on.

(3) Learn the language and culture: Though Eastern Europe and China have proved to be exciting exceptions, generally it is important to learn a country's language and culture to be able to effectively preach there.

(4) Evangelize, don't Americanize: The gospel is universal, not American. Insisting on American customs, dependence on American money and American ways stifles initiative and hinders growth.

(5) Get sufficient support: The agonies of culture shock are difficult enough with sufficient support. With financial worries, they can become unbearable.

(6) Be patient: One does not know red tape until he tries to enter a foreign country to preach the gospel for an extended period. After fighting bureaucrats and arriving in a foreign country, it is often necessary to wait months and even years for the first spiritual breakthrough.

(7) Pray without ceasing!
(8) Seek advice from men and women who are experienced in foreign evangelism.

The beautiful relationship that existed between Paul and the brethren at Philippi (Phil. 4:10-20) can serve as a model of true fellowship in the gospel.

Unfortunately, instead of harmonious fellowship, the relationships between evangelists in foreign countries and their supporting churches have often been characterized by suspicion, indifference and sometimes outright fraud. Tremendous amounts of God's resources have been wasted on some who work little, others who receive three or four times the wages of professionals in their countries and still others who are frankly charlatans.

A simple effort to follow the example of the Philippians in their support of Paul will eliminate such abuses and bring on the great blessings that come from true fellowship in the gospel.

(1) Know and trust the man you support! Mere recommendations are usually inadequate. Invite the man under consideration for a visit and get to know him and his family. But be careful! The greater the cultural and linguistic barriers, the more difficult it will be to establish this essential trust and confidence.

(2) Know his economic needs. Fluctuating exchange rates can mean vast differences in buying power from month to month. How wonderful it is when a congregations stays on top of such changes so the supported preacher doesn't have to constantly ask for adjustments. Undersupporting a man, debilitates him.

Oversupport, especially in underdeveloped countries, has also caused much grief in God's kingdom and has been factor in making arrogant tyrants and greedy public relations experts out of men who at one time may have been humble Christians. As little as 20 minutes of research in a library can help avoid the waste and resentment that comes when native preachers receive two, three, four and even more times the monthly wage of professionals in their countries. The bad feelings produced by such extravagant salaries are usually never known by far off supporting congregations whose good intentions are matched only by their naiveté. Of course, such abuses could be avoided in the first place if congregations truly knew the men they supported.

(3) Provide for emotional needs. Pray for them, visit them, send them letters, send them extra money on occasions. Such expressions of love deepen the bonds between a congregation and a supported evangelist.
Conclusion: There is no greater challenge facing God's people today than that of going into all the world and preaching the gospel to every creature. May God forgive us for our often haphazard efforts and help us to approach the task with greater energy and wisdom.

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