David Pollock once wrote, "The Great Commandment and the Great Commission are inseparable. The second cannot be done without the first. Obedience to the Great commandment is the motivation, message and the methodology in fulfilling the Great Commission."

This is the heart of missions and the heart of missionary care.

So how exactly do we care for our mission warriors? One by one they came home from the frontlines: some from Thailand, others from Kazakhstan, China, or Cambodia. Singles and couple with babies or school-age children. So many needs, so many wounds to heal. We ask: "How can we be of help? What can we give you?"

I need someone to listen to me, to my stories. If you ask me to choose between P5,000.00 and listening ears, I would take the latter anytime," one missionary answered.

Another pleaded, "I'll return to the field tomorrow but I will not dare go back if you have not listened to me. I want to tell you three years of accumulated stories, of heartaches, joys as well as pains.'
We take it for granted, but listening is the most precious gift we can give in caring for those who have given their lives in obedience to the Great Commission. Listening can happen in informal ways or even in structured debriefing sessions. We may not be able to solve their problems, answer all their questions but in listening, we offer them the safety of confidentiality, respecting their wounds and their sufferings.

In listening, we usher in the presence of the Almighty so he can comfort, calm the heart, renew confidence and awaken hope.

Meg Alag
Director
ACM Missionary care