Hidden Missionary

Hidden Missionary

Hidden Heroes Missionary Stories
true stories of God at work around the world

The wind of the Spirit of God has been blowing to draw people to Himself . . . t hrough Africa . . . Asia . . . South America . . . Island Nations . . . the Middle East . . . the Far East . . . and on and on around the world.

The Hidden Heroes series tells these true stories of the work of God through little-known Western missionaries and through the national Christians of the lands . . . over the last two hundred years, and up to the present day.
Written on the upper-elementary level, but with adults in mind too, the Hidden Heroes series of true missionary stories is designed for family read-alouds and classroom discussions.
Join us at our Facebook page, Hidden Heroes Missionary Stories .

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You are standing on a sidewalk in front of an eggshell yellow building. There are lines hanging from the support pillars that are overloaded with clothes that are drying as best they can during monsoon season in Myanmar. Inside of the building, there is a study with hundreds of books and a desk that holds jams, coffee, bags of oats, and other non-perishable foods to be eaten by the group of 21 people staying in the building.
Walking through the building, there are three rooms. They have walls that don’t go up to the ceiling, and the doors rarely shut. You can hear the single fan working to cool down each of the rooms, knowing that it isn’t working. The rooms themselves are stuffed with people and bags. Each room bursts with 8 people and their belongings that they’ve been lugging around the world on their backs. There’s a side door that leads outside.
Glorified outhouses made of cement and the same eggshell yellow paint are at the end of the walkway outside the door, where you have to squat not sit in order to use them. And between the squatty potties and the eggshell yellow building, there is a tarp covered area. A tree’s branches and leaves create the roof, and through ingenuity and flimsy beams of wood, the tarps are the walls that keep the inside hidden.
Inside you will see a large cement basin that holds the clean-ish water used for washing hands, bathing, and hand-washed laundry. And though you will never see this posted on social media, as it begins to rain, there is a young American woman, naked, crouched down by the basin, wetting her hair to clean it, completely at peace.
She has grown up with a shower that is in a room, where a handle will make it the perfect temperature and the water will continue to run until told to stop, and if it rains, she wouldn’t know. She knows what it is to have a room all to herself, with drawers and closets that hide away her many clothes and random trinkets. She can easily walk to a kitchen inside her home and open the fridge with a relative abundant selection of food. She has lived in a home where the air can be told to be warmer or cooler, and it will obey.
But she left all of that and is completely content and at peace, in a building that is not her home, sharing with 20 other people, sleeping on a mini air mattress, and taking a shower outside with a bowl.
This is the hidden missionary. This is the missionary you won’t see on facebook or instagram. This is the life you won’t hear in a newsletter or on a Sunday when they visit your church.
After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
Most of what people think of missions come from the single picture posted or the 5-minute snapshot you hear when you ask someone “oh, how is life as a missionary?” There is no way to convey what it means to live life on mission in a single picture or conversation. I don’t expect to know your life from your facebook posts, because it’s filtered and condensed into something that is going to be accepted.
I did not come on the World Race, I did not decide to be a missionary for a year because of the pictures I would get. I came because God said to. And that’s not easily caputurable by media. My life isn’t moment after moment of cute kid pictures and baptisms and healings (although, when those moments come, they are beautiful and exciting and full of joy). Much of life on mission is submission.
It’s submitting to God’s will and His calling even when it isn’t comfortable. It is stepping out of everyone’s expectations in order to follow the still, small voice in your spirit saying, “go”. It is dying to your self (ie. letting go of your rights) and living the lifestyle of those you want to reach. It is finding peace and God in every single moment because you know you are living the life He has called you to live.
The hidden missionary is often overlooked and ignored. In the states, the life of a missionary is glamorized by awe and adoration of going to a place that is hard. But the hidden missionary is the one who smiles and daily gives everything God, because without Him, it would be impossible to live out this calling.
And in simple moments, when everything is quiet and calm, and you are crouching down to get your hair wet, you smile because the peace of God is there, saying, “Well done, daughter.”

The World Race is a ministry of Adventures In Missions
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Missionary stories, full of testimony of partnering with God, joining him right where he is already at work, are so cool!
And the really good ones show the failures, flaws, and fears too. Just like the Bible does.
It’s time to dive into some truly great missions stories, so we can learn and grow together. With these missionary stories for kids and adults, we can all be inspired. Reminded of what’s really important. Deepen our faith and confidence in God’s power and love and faithfulness. And maybe be willing to get involved ourselves.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase through one of the links, I may make a small commission. I only recommend books and resources that I’ve enjoyed personally, or believe that you would like. You can read my full disclosure here . You will also find information on Scripture translations there.
Teaching our kids about the hard things in life isn’t fun. But it is necessary. And sometimes we need the reminder ourselves!
If we show them examples of real people who’ve made hard choices and endure hard things for the sake of the kingdom,
Missionaries come in all ages, and missionary stories do too.
There are so many things we can learn from missionary stories. From learning about time periods, cultures and careers to learning how to live our faith out in practical ways.
Counting the cost, both the cost of doing something, and the cost of doing nothing, is a crucial part of growing, in any area, and this is no exception.
Learning from others, who have gone before you is one of the best ways to get inspired, prepared, and stirred to action.
Take this brand-new Prayer Journal along with you on your missionary book adventure, and you’ll learn (and remember) so much more!
These Christian Missionary stories are powerful. I just finished this one about a missionary couple in India, a country that has long fascinated me. The author sent me a ecopy of her book and I chose to share my review here, because I was really impacted by her story.
This book is so well written. As someone who struggles with following Nonfiction and trying to concentrate and absorb everything, this one was a dream. I got sucked in as though it was a novel, in that I couldn’t put it down. I was fully aware that it was real life, but the author is a natural storyteller. I think this book does a good job of showing what it’s like to live in a culture that is very spiritually aware. The contrast between the typical American perspective and communities like this one in India is startling. They may be blinded to the nature of the many ‘gods’ they worship, but they are aware of the power and influence of the demons that are around. Many are willing to add Jesus to the mix, but once they realize that He isn’t willing to share the worship, they step back. This book is full of prayer points, and I would recommend reading this with a journal handy. Jot down ways to pray for missionaries, hearers, seekers, supporters, etc. Being a missionary is hard, but if God has called you, he will be with you, and his heart is for you!
I did receive a copy of this one from the author, and chose to review it here, because I think it’s awesome!
This 40 day devotional written by a missionary to Asia, to help strengthen faith along the journey. Combination memoir and devotional, Arabah Joy has a way with words, and her stories are very compelling. Her ability to help me grasp Biblical truths that seem too complicated is amazing. I would highly recommend it.
Maya Hope (A Medical Thriller/Missionary Book )
This one is fiction, fast paced, and not for the faint of heart. There’s murder and danger and an inappropriate fling. Why on earth would I be recommending it, much less here? Because, for older teens and adults, it’s well worth the read. The story itself is fascinating, and the worldwide catastrophe from a mutated cold a little eerie, even having been written prior to 2020.
The missionary stories throughout the book, the scenes of miracles and overwork, and hardships and fears and joys are so well written and believable that you’ll feel like you’re there. Or at least you should. My parents were missionaries in Guatemala, where this book is set, and it felt to me like listening to their stories all over again. Mom read this book, and felt at home with it, as well.
The main character’s growth and transformation are believably paced, and inspiring. It’s not perfect, and it’s not clean and wrapped with a bow.
In this day and age, we cannot hide awful things from our kids, so I think we need to be sharing truth with them, especially focusing on messages that come from a Biblical worldview.
Missionary stories for kids are powerful resources for doing just that. I know that there are countless missionaries who have lived fairly ‘normal’ lives, that we do not hear much about. And the ones that do become famous are the Jim Elliots and Eric Liddells and Amy Carmichaels of the world whose missionary stories are filled with pain, suffering and sacrifice.
You may want to protect your kids from those things, but I challenge you to do the opposite. You can’t keep them from learning about bad stuff, it’s all around every day. You can teach them about people who were afraid but stood firm for Christ anyway.
The Torchlighters series is animated history, from WWII days back to ancient Roman times. People who refused to recant, and suffered the penalty to people who translated the scripture into the common language (against direct orders), shared the gospel and protected children, those are the roll models that teach how we could handle whatever situation we are about to face. Trusting in God.
Having read the Bronze Ladder before , I was especially drawn to Perpetua’s story. Shortly after Biblical times, this young lady and her faith are very inspiring. There were a few I was less familiar with, that pulled on my heart.
Solid introduction to 16 missionary stories for kids and adults. They can be used to add to or launch a study of various times an places as well as character traits and so on. We’ve (well, enjoyed isn’t the right word) had many great conversations about these missionary stories, and been challenged and inspired by them.
The Naga trilogy is contemporary YA fiction, but based on many of the author’s experiences in Thailand. It’s powerful, fun, and challenges me in my 30s as much as it should its intended audience of middle and high school students.
The power of prayer and the spiritual reality that these kids experience is inspiring. And having a short term mission kid along for the journey allows natural places to explain deeper spiritual truths without being preachy or having a huge index.
Covering topics from trafficking of minors to spiritual warfare and demon possession, I definitely recommend that you read this series WITH your kids, but I would still highly recommend it.
The Christian Heroes Then and Now series is well worth your time. This series kicks off with George Mueller, and covers 48 Christian heroes of the faith. Not all are missionary books, but they do show how you can make a difference with your faith lived out in your everyday life. Whether you’re a writer like C.S. Lewis, a runner like Eric Liddell, or a WASP Pilot, doctor, or anything else, if you have faith, and compassion, you can make a difference that matters.
These adaptations of famous missionary stories are mostly written for ages 10+, as the situations many of them find themselves in are not good. Definitely meant to be read and discussed together, to help them process.
With some overlap, The lightkeepers series are another collection I look forward to exploring. Geared for kids 8-12, and not meant for independent reading, as above. Each of the 50 men/boys and 50 women/girls has a chapter with a memory of their childhood, and then a brief look at their grownup story. I believe their are quizzes, fact files, and prayer points to help cement these missions stories into our hearts.
Putting together a missionary book list like this is a privilege, a real treat!
There are so many cool missionary stories that build faith just by hearing how God has moved in different situations, and how others have been faithful (and failed) in hard times.
I really think these stories should be a staple of our reading intake, both kids and adults
Your Turn. What missions stories get you fired up? Is there a favorite missionary book of yours, that I didn’t list here? Please tell me, because I’d love to know. Or share which book above you plan to start with.
Comment below, so we can all grow together.
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