Book review: 'Praying for Your Missionary'
By Josie Oldenburg, SEND Communications—
Attention missionaries preparing for home service who are racking their brains to think of a gift for their partners: Have I got a book for you! Wrap up “Praying for Your Missionary” by Eddie Byun, and see how God uses it to bless you, your ministry, and your supporters.
“Praying for Your Missionary” touches on every stage of a missionary’s career, from culture shock when you first reach the field to culture shock when you come back for home service after years on the field.
It also covers how to pray for all of a missionary’s relationships—with nationals, with family, with teammates, with leadership, with churches, with supporters, and with a missions agency.
Other chapters are devoted to praying for a missionary’s spiritual life, intimacy with the Lord, courage to obey, and unceasing hope.
Other chapters are devoted to praying for a missionary’s spiritual life, intimacy with the Lord, courage to obey, and unceasing hope.
I’m sure we’d all love to know that someone is praying for all these aspects of our lives. But maybe it feels self-important to give people a book just so that they can pray for you?
This is where “Praying for Your Missionary” sets itself apart.
While this book IS a guide to praying for missionaries, it’s also a devotional that would minister to any believer.
Each chapter ends with a few questions for the reader to answer about their own spiritual lives, along with prayer points and action ideas. At the end of “Pray for Successful Ministry in the Eyes of God,” for instance, readers will contemplate how their own idea of success has changed over the years; after “Pray for Oneness in the Teams,” readers will consider their own experiences with team unity. Though these questions, Byun strikes the perfect balance between encouraging people to pray for missionaries and encouraging them to go deeper in their own relationships with Christ.
Each chapter ends with a few questions for the reader to answer about their own spiritual lives, along with prayer points and action ideas. At the end of “Pray for Successful Ministry in the Eyes of God,” for instance, readers will contemplate how their own idea of success has changed over the years; after “Pray for Oneness in the Teams,” readers will consider their own experiences with team unity. Though these questions, Byun strikes the perfect balance between encouraging people to pray for missionaries and encouraging them to go deeper in their own relationships with Christ.
Byun’s tone is conversational and honest. He pulls in interesting illustrations from all over the world, and he manages to be pastoral without being preachy. As a missionary, I felt seen by this book—and I also felt greater compassion for my coworkers and increased desire to pray for them. This book would simultaneously give your supporters a glimpse into the realities of missionary life and equip them to live Christ-reflecting lives no matter where on Earth God has placed them.
For a chance to win a copy of “Praying With Your Missionary,” leave a comment on the post about this book on SEND’s Facebook page. We will choose a winner at random from among the commenters.
For a chance to win a copy of “Praying With Your Missionary,” leave a comment on the post about this book on SEND’s Facebook page. We will choose a winner at random from among the commenters.
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with daily themes to help you pray for your missionary friends and their children.
(Disclosure: We were gifted a copy of this book in case we wished to review it.)
(Disclosure: We were gifted a copy of this book in case we wished to review it.)
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Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?



