Calvary Chapel Kendall Missions

Are you blessed with a little extra cash this Christmas? Are you thinking of buying a gift for a missionary? We’re going to tell you what you should be buying your missionaries, and what you should stay away from.

Top 5 BEST gifts for Missionaries

iTunes gift card- You can’t go wrong with an iTunes gift card. Why? Because you don’t need to mail anything, clear customs, pay for shipping, or any of the other hurdles to sending gifts overseas. You just buy the gift card and email the card number to your favorite missionary and you’re done, Merry Christmas.

Amazon Kindle- Check out www.amazon.com for a device that has revolutionized reading. If you can hand deliver it, then it’ll make a great Christmas gift. In the following Christmases you can give them Amazon gift cards to help them fill it up.

All inclusive vacation- I know it’s kind of expensive but in many developing countries you can buy a 5 day all inclusive vacation for just $400-$500 including flights. None of my “co-workers” ever turned down a vacation in Turkey.

Frequent Flier Miles/Buddy Passes- This is a blessing of enormous magnitude. If you have accumulated miles that you don’t mind donating, or if you have a friend/relative that works in the airline business who can hook you up with a buddy pass then you are an angel sent from the Lord Himself. Give this to a missionary and you will always have a fervent prayer partner in your corner.

Cash- At the end of the day, cash is king. Please don’t send cash or checks anywhere, technology has eliminated the need to send real cash. Deposit some money in their missionary fund, pay-pal, or directly in their bank account and you will have given them a merry christmas.

Top 5 WORST gifts for Missionaries

Food- Food can go either between best gifts or worst gifts. Many missionaries would love a well timed delivery of snickers bars, but the problem is shipping. Although brownies that stay in customs for 5 days are still edible, and sometimes still delicious, they may not be very healthy for you. Homemade goodies will probably go bad and store bought goodies will carry a hefty customs tax, if they don’t disappear. Most of the time, food goes on the worst list.

Anything you have to ship- First you have to find the shipping agency, then you have to wait in line for hours, then you have to pay $60 worth of taxes on a package that cost the sender $50 to put together. After that, you return to your car and see that you have a ticket on your windshield. The $50 package cost the missionary almost $150. True story.

Alcohol- At Christmas time, most people keep a few good bottles of wine on the shelf, ready to dish them out at the next few dinner parties, but this is not suitable for your friendly third world missionary. Most missionaries don’t drink, nope, not even a sip. Sometimes their sending agencies or churches have a “dry” clause, or alcohol may be a temptation for your missionary, or maybe it’s looked down upon in the culture in which they serve. In any event, even if you can personally deliver it, don’t give it.

Best Selling Christian Book- Surprise! Most missionaries are not interested in the latest Christian self-help, mysticism, philosophical, motivational, christian books that the rest of the United States is interested in. Believe it or not but Dr. Phil books are not on my reading list or on the reading list of any missionaries that I know.

Hand Me Downs- Gifts yes, old, ratted, worn out, dirty clothes, no. Give your best to God and your old clothes to Goodwill.