BOB WALDRON, Executive Director
The Scottish author, Alistair MacLean, is famous for his fast-moving action novels. His book, Where Eagles Dare, is about Allied agents who staged a daring raid on an alpine fortress where Nazis held an American officer prisoner. Unknown to the Germans, the officer had full knowledge of the D-Day operations, so his rescue was crucial. 
Even more thrilling than MacLean's novel is the story of the Highland Oaks Church of Christ in Dallas, who have accepted the daring challenge to help rescue Satans prisoners by becoming an Eagle Church for Asia.
In the world of birds, there are millions of sparrows but only a few eagles. Sparrows fly low to the ground and never venture far from home.
Eagles, on the other hand, soar to heights never dreamed of by sparrows, seeing vistas and horizons sparrows never see. And eagles possess strength like most sparrows only dream about. It is not that eagles are better than sparrows, just different. Both are needed.
Churches are a lot like sparrows or eagles. In missions we need innumerable sparrow churches to faithfully support missionaries and national workers. They play an indispensable role in world missions.
But we also need a few eagle churcheschurches with vision and resolve to focus their resources on upper-tier issues that will point the way for sparrow churches and dramatically impact the world of missions. Highland Oaks has become such a church for the worlds most populous region by accepting the oversight and financial support for our newly appointed facilitator for Asian church planting. In the months ahead Highland Oaks will develop a growing familiarity with Asia and partner with MRN to initiate a strategy for planting churches throughout the continent. This will provide both needed leadership for the Body of Christ and an Asian focus for many sparrow churches.
Iron Maiden, a British heavy metal band, wrote the song, Where Eagles Dare, long after the movie had splashed across the silver screen. The lyrics end with these words:
They dared to go where no one would try.
They chose to fly where eagles dare.
It is rare to discover a congregation that will take responsibility for evangelizing a whole city. Rarer still to find a church that would dream to reach a complete nation. But, thankfully, God has raised up in Highland Oaks a church that has chosen to fly where eagles dare by accepting the burden for an entire continent. All change involves loss and everyone experiences it. Whether we are faced with an empty nest, retirement, aging, failing health, divorce, or the death of a loved one, we all must cope with loss.
But how do we deal with the losses few experience, such as the loss of our children because they have chosen to be missionaries in another land?
When missionaries are sent off with celebration and rejoicing, their parents experience a mixture of pride and loss that may not be observed or understood.
Churches that support a missionary or have parents of missionaries in their congregation can perform a valuable service by ministering, especially during the holidays, to those parents. Here are seven suggestions you can use to help parents of missionaries cope with the holidays.
Acknowledge parents of missionaries. Include them in your missionaries' preparation and sendoff. Help them connect with one another. Honor them on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, perhaps by referring to Hannah's dedicating her son to the Lord's work. Give them a bouquet of flowers.
Reassure them that the church is taking good care of their kids. Parents are concerned for the welfare of their children and grandchildren and they know that sometimes churches do a less than adequate job of caring for missionaries. Show them that the church is not failing in its obligations to its missionaries and that it even goes the second mile in providing for the needs of its overseas ambassadors.
Engage the parents of missionaries in a holiday social event at church. Parents of missionaries may be feeling more bereft during the holiday season. Consider surprising the parents during the holiday party with a video connection to their children even if they are not supported by your congregation. This would also encourage the missionary. Project the video on a large screen.
Urge your missionaries to take the holidays into consideration when scheduling their furloughs. And make sure that you allow time in their furloughs for them to spend the holidays with their parents.
Be aware that parents of missionaries-even those who are veterans-grieve. Just acknowledging this can be healing. Express care and your desire to understand. Send them a card or letter of appreciation. Encourage your churches to pray for the parents when they pray for missionaries.
Be aware that parents of missionaries may have concerns. Ask what they are and how you can pray. Try to determine if the parents are getting needed emotional support.
Involve church members in ministering to parents of missionaries who may have physical needs that the missionary would care for if he or she were home, such as leaf raking, grass cutting, or transportation to and from doctor's appointments. Adopt any single parents as pew partners so they do not feel left out. Send a card or flowers on Mother's Day and birthdays. If it's a single mom, present her with a Mother's Day corsage at church.
Adapted from materials prepared by Cheryl Savageau and Diane Stortz, National Network of Parents of Missionaries, www.POMnet.org. Used with permission.
