And that, I think, is a mission worth keeping.
The Latin root: missio – "to send."
That core is still beautiful. It is the doctor who leaves a comfortable city practice to treat river blindness in a remote village. It is the teacher who learns a difficult language just to read stories to children who have never held a book. It is the engineer who digs wells not for a contract, but for the quiet joy of clean water.
At its absolute core, a missionary is simply someone who is sent . Specifically, someone sent to love people who are not like them.
Because of this, the word carries baggage. In many global south communities, "missionary" is still a slur, shorthand for religious imperialism.
And that, I think, is a mission worth keeping.
The Latin root: missio – "to send."
That core is still beautiful. It is the doctor who leaves a comfortable city practice to treat river blindness in a remote village. It is the teacher who learns a difficult language just to read stories to children who have never held a book. It is the engineer who digs wells not for a contract, but for the quiet joy of clean water. Missionary
At its absolute core, a missionary is simply someone who is sent . Specifically, someone sent to love people who are not like them. And that, I think, is a mission worth keeping
Because of this, the word carries baggage. In many global south communities, "missionary" is still a slur, shorthand for religious imperialism. It is the teacher who learns a difficult