If you grew up in a Southern Baptist church, you probably associate the name Lottie Moon with the Christmas season. Lottie Moon — the namesake of Southern Baptists’ international missions offering — has become a legend. But in her time, Lottie was anything but an untouchable hero. In fact, she was like today’s missionaries. She labored tirelessly so her people group could know Jesus.

If you grew up in a Southern Baptist church, you probably associate the name Lottie Moon with the Christmas season. Lottie Moon — the namesake of Southern Baptists’ international missions offering — has become a legend. But in her time, Lottie was anything but an untouchable hero. In fact, she was like today’s missionaries. She labored tirelessly so her people group could know Jesus.

Dec. 1-8, 2019, is the annual week of prayer for international missions and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. International Mission Board (IMB) President, Paul Chitwood, recently visited East Africa and shared some of his insights regarding the challenges of taking the gospel to the unreached.

Following is an overview of the week of prayer. You may click on the links for related articles, and videos of firsthand experiences from the mission field, as well as daily prayer prompts:

Day 1: Here to serve
Paul Chitwood says each missionary faces unique challenges — and every prayer counts. Chitwood offers several ways you can pray for missionaries around the world.

Day 2: A season of change
Migrant workers in Mexico live in poverty and do back-breaking work every day. But David and Ann Boyter and their teammates say God is breaking their cycle of hopelessness with new life.

Day 3: Gospel on the move
In the East Asian country where Peter Station* serves, nomadic herdsmen are hard to find and even harder to stay connected with. But even so, he’s seeing disciples grow strong roots in the wilderness.

Day 4: Catching a vision
In South Korea, IMB missionary Hun Sol believes missions and revivals go together. He trains students to go out into other parts of Asia to share the gospel. His hope is that students’ passion for the gospel and missions will revive the sleepy South Korean church to take the hope of Jesus to the world.

“Every single missionary faces unique struggles. And every single prayer for a missionary matters.”

Day 5: A new beginning
For months, Venezuelans have been spilling into Columbia by the thousands. They’re desperate for help and hope, and Paul and Robin Tinley say it’s an unprecedented open door for the gospel.

Day 6: Sowing seeds
Bulgarians are desperate for hope, but they’re not interested in anything to do with religion. So Brian and Mandy Davis spend their days building relationships to show people the hope Jesus offers.

Day 7: Answering life’s questions
Of the 50 least-reached university campuses in North America, 34 are in Quebec. But IMB missionaries Robert and Sharon Pinkston say they believe if students could just have the chance to hear the gospel, they would respond.

Day 8: Sidewalk chapel
The homeless men who live on the streets of Tokyo aren’t used to being looked in the eye, much less called by name. So when Mark Bennett gives them bread, loves them as Jesus does, they return for more.

Though you may never meet missionaries in person that you support, your prayers and generosity transform lives.

Chitwood, reflecting on his trip to Africa, said: “Every ride down a dusty road and every walk down a city street was a reminder that every single missionary faces unique struggles. And every single prayer for a missionary matters.”

For more information and resources about the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, visit imb.org/lmco.

*Name changed.