This was a email i received a couple days ago!
Andrew,
My wife says we met at our wedding. I appologize, but I do not remember meeting you. Lord willing I will get to meet you someday. We just got your letter letting us know about your 11 country/11 month missions trip. I must say, given the circumstances in my wife and my life, I am both agrivated (as a human) and ecstatic (as a Christian) at how God is using our checking account. Several months ago, one of our good friends, and our pastor's son, wrote us an email asking for money to go on a missions trip during his college's spring break. At the time, I had a great job (still do) and phenominal pay (the county I work for since impossed a 15% paycut on us… which was basically the amount of free money we had above and beyond paying all of our bills), so the only question we had was, "how much does God want us to give?" We prayed about it and gave him some money. Unlike my wife, I have never been called to a foreign country. However, many years ago God opened my eyes and showed me that everyone is called to the missions field, does not mean everyone is called to be a missionary. Those of us who have yet to be called to be a missionary are called to support those He has called in any way we can, financially, physically, spiritually, etc. So, I figured I'd done my good deed, showed God I love Him more than I love my money, and that I had honored him by supporting one of His missionaries. But apparently God isn't satisfied with the bare minimum (I know it says that in the Bible, but its a little different when that begins to be played out in your own life). So right after we gave him money, we got a letter from his sister saying she needed $3,000 to go on a two month trip to "Teach English" in a large Asian nation. Since we had tax refund checks coming, I figured we'd just give her 10% of the refund check. A week before she left, we called her up to see if she still needed money. She said she was short about $500, but that besides us, two other people had promised to give her money. So I figured, we would give her the 10%, and then if after the other two gave her money, she was still short, we would give her the balance (which was probably my way of tricking God by giving above 10% if I absolutely had to, but still keeping the most amount of MY money). Thankfully I'm married to a wonderful woman who keeps me focused on God. My wife turned to me and said, "We're giving her the $500, right?" (which was more of a statement than a question.) We drove to her house and gave her the full amount she needed. Yet another gold star for me; I showed God once again how good I am by giving waaaayyyy over 10%. Yet while we were driving home God opened my eyes: I didn't give her a dime of MY money. The job I have is a job given to me by God. Furthermore, the money I got was from a tax refund check…essentially free money. If the money was mine I might be able to brag to God about what I did; but since it's God's money, I have no right to stand before Him and brag about anything money related. I gave our friend $500 of God's money. But still I went home and was proud of myself; afterall, even though it was God's money, I could have disobeyed Him and kept that money for myself. Then, three days later we get another request for money for a missions trip. But this one isn't $1500 like our friend, or $3000 like his sister, but $15,000 for an 11 month/11 nation missions trip (in my opinion, the last step before becoming a full time missionary)!!! "Okay God, I think I'm starting to get it." If God calls us all to missions, that means supporting missionaries not just when its financially easy, but supporting them when it is tough. So, all that said, I know God is calling us to support you. But I have no idea what dollar amount is His will. I ask that you keep Deanna and me in your prayers, that God will reveal to us how much we are supposed to give to you. I saw that if only 25 people give $50 p/m for 12 months, you will have your $15,000. I would love for us to be one of those 25 people. But since the paycut is only on paper right now, I really have no idea how much money I'll be making once it hits my paycheck. I don't know if $50 will be possible. On the other hand, if God's will is more than that, I don't want to limit Him, and have to answer to Him why we gave you so little.
Brother, it is so amazing what God is doing through you. My wife and I love you and what you are doing through our Lord and Savior.
God Bless you and keep you
