I remember before I really delved elbows-deep into the World Race I kept seeing things about "Support Raising" and I thinking….what in the world does that mean, exactly? I had never support or fund-raised for a mission trip before, and the concept was more or less completely foreign to me.
Sure, I had heard that "real" missionaries have to have their friends and family back home support them while they are on the field by making monthly donations, but I figured this was just to sort of make ends meet. I did not truly realize that people committed to foreign missions are often 100% without an income. Their bread-and-butter is literally coming from the people who are truly committed to their cause enough to stand behind them financially even when they may go years without seeing them or hearing their stories.
And of course I have either attended or participated in the car-washes and spaghetti dinners that youth groups and girl scouts and the like hold to fund their next trip. And of course I would do what most people do….give a little more than the minimum they ask for, but never really give till it hurts. And when I have gone on mission trips in the past, I have always paid my own way because I could, despite being encouraged to support raise by the organizations and teams I went with.
And now here I am, all of a sudden, about to turn 25, and facing the prospect of "SUPPORT RAISING!" over 20 thousand dollars. Most of which needs to be accumulated in Less. Than. Four. Months.
*….insert mild panic attack here…..*
I have prayed and panicked and grappled with the options for how to do this over and over again. I debated writing several support letters, each geared towards a different "audience" (for lack of a better word….demographic, maybe? no, that one isn't right either). I thought I could construct one that is primarily for the people that may truly be interested in being monthly or large-sum donors, like close friends or family, and this letter would be much longer and more personal. Another would go to the people that have not seen or spoken to me in a while and may be interested primarily in praying for me and following my blog occasionally, maybe making a couple of one-time contributions. And still another would be geared towards the people I have come to know and love over the years who are not believers and may not exactly understand all the "Jesus-oriented" part of my trip, but would appreciate the philanthropic focus.
I decided none of that was right. I do not want to color my trip in one way or another depending on who is reading or what they may think. I feel that I will be doing a disservice to people by sending them the "right" letter that says what they would "want" to hear. I ended up writing one support letter that reflects my heart and purpose for the trip, no camouflage or fancy language necessary. And it is the one I am sending to everyone, with the exception of a few personalized ones to family.
And SO rises the question of WHO do I send my support letters TO!?!? Aside from the obvious people, I have found that I am doing what I imagine everyone who has ever support-raised does. Sit around chewing on a pen (ok that part may just be me) while staring into space and asking family to help you think of the people in your life that have supported or cared about you in one way or another. There is a lot of back-and-forth and debating and uncertainty over who would "want" one or would be "appropriate" or who "actually probably could care less".
In doing this, a lot comes up over who has "a lot of money" and who "doesn't have any money" and whether or not people are going to feel obligated or expected to give when they can't, and for that reason, who should or should not be sent a support letter.
SO! I wanted to take advantage of the fact the I have a blog about this trip to clear this up! 🙂
In sending people a support letter, I am simply asking them to join the team of people that will be a part of this journey. I will be the representative of that team, but no more a part of the team than the people supporting it.
Support comes in many forms: prayer, spiritual guidance, advice about gear, advice about inspirational books to read, advice about ways to approach ministry, single donations of $5 to monthly donations of $100 (and everything in between!), coming to my pancake breakfast at Applebees, telling friends and family about my trip to have them pray for or support me, offering me words of encouragement via email or comments on my blog, comforting my family when they are worried about my safety or missing me, reading my blog and praying for those I will ask you to pray for, telling me about ways to reduce my car payment while I'm gone (and all the other random costs I will be covering)….and the list goes on!
Don't get me wrong….$15,500 is still a very large and very real number that I do ACTUALLY have to meet in order to spread the Gospel to the corners of the earth in the way God has asked me to, and the other $6-8,000 is not in optional costs. But all the money in the world belongs to God (whether people admit that or not), and He calls people to use it for many, many different purposes.
Other missionaries have reminded me of this, and told me that you never know what God has up His sleeve when it comes to support raising. Sometimes the 6-figure income CEO immediate family member type will give you $5, and the single-mother of 4 living on waitress tips type will give you $325, a number she obviously prayed over. You never know who or how or when God will speak to someone's heart about where and how they are being a faithful steward of His money that He has allocated to them.
In light of this, I want to tell you all something about supporting me financially. I do not presume to know how or where or for what purpose God's money should be used. I will not assume that you are being selfish or inconsiderate if you do not give me as much as I would "expect" (as you may think), but simply that God has led you to use that money in another way. If that means going out to dinner with your friends….perfect! God wanted to use that money to take the chance to rejuvenate your spirit over a meal with people you love! If it means remodeling your kitchen….great! God may have years of close family time and family memories that come of the new, refreshed family space!
See what I mean? I just want to ask anyone who would like to be a part of my ministry or my team in any way to pray about how God is calling you to contribute, in all the ways I mentioned above. Maybe you DO feel led to allocate a portion of the money you currently have to this cause; maybe you feel led to spend it in another way. I just want people to know that I will not be judging you or getting frustrated with you for your decision.
I will be sending out support letters in the next week, and I am praying that God lead each person to join in this ministry in whatever way He has called, whether it is as a single prayer uttered before moving on to the next piece of mail, or if it is a monthly contribution and daily prayer. God has a huge, incredible purpose for each person, and He will work it all in according to His plan.
The amount of money is still daunting and it is proving to truly help me begin to learn reliance on God. One thing I CAN assure you of is that I will be as faithful with the time and opportunities that your financial contribution will give me as I possibly can, and I am fairly certain that I will have the chance to shower love and adoration on people that have never had it before, and they will know that it is coming from the One who sent me…Christ!
I want to say to you all what Paul told the church in Corinth: "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7
And I will never, ever underestimate the power of prayer in all of you as your contribution! God LOVES it when we pray for each other and He can make anything work in accordance with His purpose!
Sorry for the long-winded blog….I am sincerely going to start writing shorter ones, I promise…..but this was just one that needed to be written and did not seem appropriate to be broken up. I hope it cleared up any questions about supporting me!
