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 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? They come home from the frontlines: some from Thailand, others from Kazakhstan, China, or Cambodia – singles and couples 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 AND LISTENING EARS, I WOULD TAKE THE LATTER ANY TIME,” 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.”

Their needs may range from the practical like airport pick-ups and accommodations while in furlough, to the seemingly mundane like a listening ear or a friend to relax and have fun with, to the critical like medical assistance and debriefing sessions.

The Asian Center for Missions is a catalyst, consultant, equipper, linker, and provider of Deployment and Member Care know-how and services following the best practice model and bayanihan spirit. We envision the multiplication of Philippine sending churches and mission agencies/organizations that are intentional in caring for members of the harvest workforce: career missionaries, tentmakers and OFWs (overseas Filipino witnesses).

We help volunteers and churches by equipping them to effectively send and support their outstanding Filipino witnesses to the mission field by caring for them holistically from the time they receive their calling until their retirement. In line with this, we are developing a nationwide network of missionary care volunteers/providers as partners in caring for their members.