Around the world, there are dozens of areas in great need of help. Missionaries travel to all of these places, looking for ways in which they can be of service to the greater good.
A missionary’s two missions are to help people and to spread the word about their faith. Both of these activities can be done at the same time, strengthening the missionary’s connection to their faith and to the community as a whole.
Marc Zboch explores the many areas around the world where missionaries are needed to help the local population and to bolster their faith.
Haiti
Haiti has still not fully recovered from the devastating earthquake of 2010, which decimated the infrastructure and caused hundreds of thousands of deaths. Schools, roads, public buildings, and private homes were destroyed. Even ten years later, many people are still homeless.
Missionaries are needed in Haiti to bring charitable services to its people. They are also needed to give the people a sense of hope that they can recover from the terrible disaster of 2010.
While Haiti has a significant Christian population (mostly Catholics), there are also influences from indigenous practices that can distract people from and, in some cases, replace their faith. Missionaries are needed to help bring this country closer to stability.
Currently, missionaries to Haiti are concerned more with supporting the country’s return to normalcy on its own terms than with extensive donations from abroad. Supporting the people of Haiti while they make their own decisions, rather than coming in and co-opting local actions, is the goal of Haitian missionaries today.
El Salvador
El Salvador is a Central American country. Its name means “the savior” in Spanish, a reference to Jesus Christ. While much of the population is Catholic, there is also a significant movement toward Evangelical teachings. Missionaries are needed to work directly with local churches in their outreach and public service efforts.
El Salvador has been plagued with drugs and crime, two reasons why a mission trip to the country could be considered dangerous. As a result, missionaries who are called to El Salvador are in short supply.
Africa
There are dozens of countries on the African continent that are in need of missionaries’ help. While Christianity is growing in Africa thanks to the efforts of past missionaries, there are many areas afflicted by hunger, disease, and a lack of clean water. Missionaries can help with all of these issues by working with local authorities.
Many non-native missionaries have been sent home from Africa in response to COVID-19, but in the future, missionaries will return to do their work among the African people.
Angola
Angola was ravaged by a civil war from 1975 to 2002, and the country is still recovering. While the government has become more stable over the years, it is still difficult for many people to make a living. Thus, it is understandable that they would need faith to cope with the problems of life.
Missionaries in Angola are concerned with supporting the people’s health and well-being, as well as advancing the cause of their own religious beliefs.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Missionaries have been helping the people of the Congo since 1885. The country became a Christian majority nation in the early 1900s thanks to the work of Belgian missionaries. The Christians in the area are primarily Catholic, but there is a growing population of Protestants as well.
Today, missionaries in the Congo are involved with building schools, churches, and other infrastructure projects. Sadly, some fighting in the country has led to the loss of life and the damage of churches built by missionaries. The country can be a dangerous place, and missionaries need to be aware of their surroundings.
Malawi
For thirty years (ending in 1994), Malawi was the home of a notorious dictatorship. Today, stability is returning to the country, but there remains a serious need for assistance. Missionaries have been involved with building schools, churches, and orphanages.
China
China is a difficult country for Christian missionaries, thanks to government restrictions, but there remains a great need in the community. The government bans discrimination based on religion, but does not guarantee free worship as people see fit. Many rural areas of China are poor and lacking in access to food, water, and necessary goods.
China recognizes Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, Daoism, and Protestantism, and has formally prohibited other forms of religion. China’s dominant religion is a traditional folk religion mixed with Buddhist practices. There remains an opening for Christian missionaries to spread the word and to reach the hearts of the Chinese people.
Mexico
Mexico is a largely Catholic country, but there is a growing evangelical population. Missionaries from various denominations have been able to make a name for themselves in the community by spreading good works. Mexico has been severely affected by crime and drugs, so some areas are unsafe for foreigners.
Missionaries in Mexico can help to bring their faith to people in an unstable country. They can provide food, schooling, and religious support.
Philippines
The Philippines are another area that has a dominant Catholic practice, but there are opportunities for other religions as well. Non-native missionaries were forced to leave the country in 2020 due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In the future, it is hoped that the country will be open to non-native missionaries again.
The Objective of Missionaries Around the World
Around the world, foreign missionaries have done a great deal of good. Some missionaries have inadvertently caused problems, but these difficulties are largely in the past. Missionaries will continue to be needed in the developing world.
In recent years, Christians from Africa have begun engaging in “reverse missionary” work, where they take their religious beliefs to industrialized countries like the United Kingdom and the United States in hopes of spreading the gospel. This phenomenon underscores the need for missionaries even in unexpected places where people have lost touch with their faith.
Marc Zboch encourages people to get involved with missionaries. Even if you cannot devote your life to mission work full-time, you can take trips to disadvantaged areas and lend a helping hand.
