I was introduced to the idea of reading missionary biographies in our homeschool a few years ago after seeing one on a booklist for children. I had never thought about introducing my kids to the lives of missionaries, but after reading one myself, I realized what amazing benefits they have to teach!
01 They are Inspiring
The adventurous life of a missionary can widen our perspective to what we can do with our lives. They inspire us to seek God where you are now, and in far away places. They inspire us to action – we see that being prepared spiritually opens the door of opportunity for how God can use you. We are inspired to take action to forgive, to love, to research, or to go.
02 They Introduce us to Different People of the World
In addition to learning about the life of a missionary, we learn about the geography, the culture, the language, and the feelings of people in other countries. It has been eye opening for my whole family to read story after story of how ordinary people like us have integrated into completely different ways of life. We see the character of kindness, generosity, trustworthiness, courage, and compassion through each story.
03 They Reveal God’s Faithfulness
God is faithful. It is hard to see that in everyday life. Especially in the eyes of a child who is taken well care of. There is a story of God’s amazing work and answered prayer in each story. When you live with the faith of a missionary, you live out of your comfort zone. It is fascinating to hear their stories of heavily relying on their Lord on a daily basis.
04 They Show a Different Perspective on Hardship
Each missionary story shows God’s strength in human weakness. Physical limitations, failures and let downs, and harsh conditions all present obstacles that seem hopeless. Experiencing His presence through a missionary’s eyes turns coming to the end of ourselves into an opportunity.
05 They Motivate us to Serve
It is very hard to read one of these stories and not be moved to serve people. In our own home, I see my children come up with ideas on how they want to help each other or pray for a friend. Here are great options that we will be reading this school year.
YWAM Publishing offers an amazing selection of Christian Heroes biographies. Each has powerful messages about character, and about loving God and others. I hope you will enjoy each of these stories with your children or on your own! The above bundle deal is over, but here is the link to check out other biography options! We will be reading these in the 2022-2023 school year, so let me know in the comments if we will be reading together!
This post was all about the benefits of reading missionary biographies for you and your family.
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Hi! At what age/school year did you start these? I’m thinking of getting this bundle because Corrie Ten Boom is buried less than a mile away from us. And obviously there’s much to be inspired by CSL and Elisabeth Elliot.
We’re finishing Little Pilgrim’s Progress and I’m thinking these biographies would be ideal for year 2. Thoughts?
Hi! I believe I started when my youngest was 6 or 7 (and my oldest was 11). Wow, that is a great field trip. This bundle is no longer active, but YWAM always has sales going on. I loved reading about Corrie Ten Boom – highly recommend this read aloud!