As many of you know, Hannah and I must raise support for our eleven months on the mission field. In total, Hannah and I need to raise $31,000.00, which will cover our living and travel expenses for the full eleven months. When looking at this huge number, we began praying for God to supply for our need. We feel confident that God has led us to the World Race and He will provide the necessary support.
I feel like when I pray, God often answers me in unexpected ways. Since Hannah and I answered the call to missions, I have been praying for God to show us how to raise the funds necessary. I was hoping for a grand revelation of an awesome fundraiser or a connection with a mega-donor. However, the answer I got from God was to “make stone soup.”
If you are not familiar with the story, a very condensed version goes like this:
Some travelers came to a village carrying nothing more than an empty cooking pot. Upon their arrival, the villagers were unwilling to share any of their food with the hungry travelers because a severe famine had swept the land. The villagers worried that they would not have enough food for themselves if they gave to the travelers. Undeterred, the travelers went down to the stream and filled their pot with water. They then dropped a large stone into the pot and placed it over a fire. One of the villagers became curious and asked what they were doing. The travelers answered that they were making "stone soup," which tastes wonderful, although it still needed a little bit of garnish to improve the flavor. The villager talked to the travelers about the soup and decided he did not mind parting with a few carrots. Another villager walked by, inquiring about the pot, and the travelers again mentioned their stone soup and explained that it was good, but would be more delicious with a few scraps of beef and potatoes. This villager went to her house and returned to give the travelers a little bit of beef and a few potatoes. More and more villagers walked by, each adding another ingredient. Finally, a huge pot of soup, which was fit for a king, was gently boiling. In the end, all the villagers gathered around the pot and shared in a feast. By each villager putting a small portion in the pot, the entire village and the travelers ate until they were full.
It is my belief that Hannah and I cannot raise the funds by ourselves necessary to become the missionaries God has called us to be. Like the travelers who had nothing but an empty pot, Hannah and I have emptied our lives to become vessels for God to use. We have prayed for God to fill us with His living water and for the Holy Spirit to kindle a fire in us to serve. As such, we feel like the travelers preparing to make stone soup for the world. If you are reading this blog, you may not have the resources to travel to Thailand to fight sex-trafficking, but you can add a bit of what is in your cupboard. You might not have the resources to travel to Swaziland to minister to orphans of the AIDS epidemic, but you can give your prayers and encouragement. You might not have the resources to reach the lost, broken, abused and forgotten in the far reaches of the planet. However, if we all come together, we can collectively participate in taking Jesus to the world. We as a community of believers can each add our ingredient to make stone soup and provide food for souls all over the world.
The following dates represent our support deadlines that we will have to meet. Thank you for your love and encouragement.
-June 30, 2012: $7,000.00 (2 weeks before Training Camp)
-August 18, 2012: $13,000.00 (2 weeks prior to launch)
-December 1, 2012: $22,000.00 (End of 3 months on the field)
-March 1, 2013: $31,000.00 (End of 6 months on the field)
