Before I was born, my parents spent just over a year living in Papua New Guinea. They packed up my older sisters—a toddler and a preschooler—and moved to an outpost in the middle of the jungle where supplies and mail were brought in by plane. Maybe it’s because of the stories I heard growing up or maybe it’s simply because I find it motivating, but I love to read about great men and women who have shared the good news of Jesus with the world. Sometimes, during Morning Time, I’ll find a chapter of a missionary biography that ties in with our current geography studies. Other times, we’ll make our way through a biography, cover to cover.
Stories like these build our family up in the faith and encourage us to look for our own opportunities to serve Jesus and share his love.
Right where we live.
You see, the truth is: If you’re a Christian, you’re a missionary. You might not quit your job, move overseas and go into full-time ministry, but the Great Commission is for everyone. Even moms. (Maybe even especially moms—your family is your most important ministry.) So if you’re looking for some real-life encouragement, here are five wonderful series/collections of missionary stories to read together:
1. Hero Tales
Hero Tales is an illustrated collection of real life stories for children ages six to twelve. It includes the biographies of 15 Christian heroes. Each biography is followed by three more specific stories from that particular missionary’s life. There are also questions to generate family discussion.
2. Missionary Stories with the Millers
This is, by far, our favourite collection of missionary stories. Each chapter is short enough to read during Morning Time and interesting enough that my kids always beg for “just one more story.”
This historical fiction series brings Christian heroes to life. Each book includes a page detailing which aspects of the story are fictional and which are not, making it easy to differentiate between the two. There are 40 books in all.
4. Christian Heroes: Then and Now
This series, published by YWAM, is absolutely incredible. There are 47 books in total, and each book tells the story of a missionary who changed the world for Jesus. Although they are aimed at 10-14 year olds, these books are engaging for all ages.
Each book in this series by Rebecca Davis features a collection of true stories specific to a particular country or geographic region. For example, The Good News Must Go Out: True Stories of God at Work is all about the church in Central Africa. Lights in a Dark Place focuses on Colombia. There are six books in total.
Do you have any mission stories that you love to read? I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to share your favourites in the comment section below.
Disclosure: These are books that we love and wanted to share. I have, however, used affiliate links in this post. This means that, should you click on a link and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no cost to you.
The Grace-Filled Life 