A few years ago when we started pursuing full time missions, we knew that fundraising was going to be a challenge. We did not think that our personalities would be good for raising support and were intimidated to ask others to invest in us. We were afraid that we would have to change our personality in order to be more appealing to others.
We understand this process and why it is so important for us to share with others about our passion. We also believe that it is Biblical for people in ministry to ask and receive support from others. We also enjoy learning about the ministries of missionaries we personally support and how they are fulfilling the Great Commission. However, we believe that our ministry has always been quiet and not noticed by others so that we will not receive any recognition, but giving God all the glory. Knowing that I struggle with pride, I try to make a conscious effort to not be in the spot light or noticed while building relationships with others. I enjoy mentoring others and watching them grow in their faith. I do not want to market their testimony for our ministry to grow.
My concern is that our hearts and motivation will start focusing on appealing to people rather than reaching the lost.
We tried to find ways around the process by offering up suggestions to our mentors. However, our friends continued to remind us that we are trying to do all of the work ourselves and not letting God be glorified through the process. We are also taking opportunities away from people who may be passionate about reaching the nations, but cannot go themselves.
We trusted our mentors and after praying about it, determined that this was the best route for our family. We agreed that we would do everything that One Mission Society asks of us, to properly and Biblically raise support for our ministry. We just assumed that this would be like doing taxes; nobody likes to do them, but they have to get done. As soon as we can get them done and raise our support, we can focus on our true purpose. Little did we know, God had a plan for us during our support raising process.
We started our training and within a week something amazing happened. God started revealing to us this great opportunity to share with others our vision and inspire them to fulfill their purpose as well. We began to realize that it was not about getting people to support us, but about building a relationship with them and encouraging them in their walk by sharing our passions to reach the lost. Through our desire to reach the nations, we get to also reach our friends and family. We also get the opportunity to meet with people every day and learn about their testimonies and some of their struggles, while sharing ours.
We are just a few weeks into our support raising process, and we have been able to witness and minister to many different people whom we have never met. I have the honor to pray with individuals each day and encourage them in their walk.
We have also been spiritually blessed through this process. We are convicted each day as we meet with people and ask them to pray about partnering and investing with us. We are humbled and reminded how great God is. We understand that the only way we could be fully funded is by the grace of God. We realize that everything we do affects our future ministry and this holds us accountable. We continue to grow stronger as a family and in our relationship with God throughout this process.
We continue to pray that our hearts and intentions are God focused, God motivated, God inspired, and God driven.
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” John 15:5
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