Noah’s Ark as a Model for Mission Care in South America

With the numerical growth of members in the Latin mission, the challenge of ensuring the well-being and effectiveness of community members has also arisen. For this reason, the Mission Department proposed a care system based on the message of Noah’s Ark, designed to address and respond to the needs of the spirit, soul, and body.

Through weekly meetings with teams that go on missions to other cities and countries, missionaries are monitored in terms of their growth and performance, following this model:

1. Spirit – How is your spiritual life?
This refers to personal meditation on God’s word, a life of prayer, and focus on building God’s kingdom.
Idea: It is essential to maintain Bible study and prayer times with missionaries on the mission front.

2. Soul – How do you feel emotionally?
This assesses factors that affect the mission team positively or negatively, leading to specific prayer requests.
Idea: Keeping in touch, encouraging, and caring for the missionary’s emotional well-being is necessary. Praying with and for them is fundamental.

3. Body – Are your needs being met?
This involves food, lodging, and basic necessities for carrying out the mission.
Idea: It is necessary to provide missionaries with what they need before going on a mission or, at the very least, offer them hope and guidance until resources arrive.

In Latin American experience, we have learned that it is not only important to challenge people to work for God’s kingdom but also to care for them until they become committed members and then shepherd them until their faith matures.

Appendix: The Weekly “Traffic Light” Check-In
These are the questions asked to mission teams during the weekly meeting. We call this the “traffic light” because it shows if the team is doing well (green), moderately well (yellow), or struggling (red).

PERFORMANCE
OA. How has the mission progressed this week?
EV. How many people have you evangelized? How many have started Bible studies?
EB. How many Bible studies do you conduct per day? How prepared do you feel to teach?
IF. Are you reporting your activities daily?
GROWTH
FS. Physical – How is your health?
ES. Spiritual – How is your relationship with God?
EM. Emotional – How do you feel?
ND. Needs – Are your needs being met?
What can we pray for on your behalf?