This week I’m going to do a blog series on support raising.  I think
there are a lot of questions out there as to why missionaries have to
raise support, what it really goes to, and there are other lies that
supporters and missionaries alike ask themselves.  I’m going to tackle
them because, really, the father of lies has had his grip on people’s
support networks for too long and I want to bust his grimy hands off of
it.


 
:: support raising – overcoming the resistance ::
 
One of the biggest obstacles in support raising is resistance.  Personify “resistance” for two seconds and picture this with me:  imagine that resistance is like one of those really muscular and cut WWF wrestlers.  He stands in the ring waiting for you to enter while foaming at the mouth and about all you can do is shake yourself out of the shoes you’re wearing because he’s so intimidating.  But…

You just need to remember that WWF wrestlers are full of it.

Believe the truth
While I wish that there was a really easy way to overcome resistance, it usually begins with a battle for you to believe the truth yourself.  How can you raise the money for what you’re doing if you don’t even believe in it in the first place?  How can you find all of the prayer partners you need for the year if you don’t even think that what you’re doing is worthy of prayer?  You need to begin believing that what you declare as truth is true before you start sharing it with others.

Escape the lazy mentality
Once you wholeheartedly believe in what you’re doing, then you need to overcome your own laziness.  Unfortunately, most people in American society, especially those people my age, expect to have everything given to them the easy way.  It’s almost like we feel entitled to simplicity.  Sometimes, however, you have to fight for stuff in life.  Meeting a goal that can only be reached by faith is one of those things you’re going to have to really wrestle for.  Let’s be honest, life is hard.  Deal with it.  And the only way to deal with it is to pursue this next thing…

Be Proactive
The best way to overcome resistance is to be proactive.  It’s actually the first habit in Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.  Proactive people think positively and proactive people are go-getters.  Proactive people have the “initiative and responsibility to make things happen” Covey says.  Christians are proactive people and proactivity is one of the best ways to overcome resistance.  Why?  Because resistance is a choice that you make; it’s a state of mind and not really a reality.

Start believing the truth, stop being lazy, become proactive… and you can support raise for anything.  You just have to decide how bad you want to reach your goal.  The thing you will always have to remember about being a support raised missionary is that it’s a lot of hard work.  It’s basically a part-time job in and of itself because it’s about building relationships and doing ministry with people, not ministry for people that give you financial support and prayer.  It’s a community-driven affair and the sooner you embrace that… the sooner world gets changed.
 


P.S. I’m trying to raise support for 2010 so that I can continue in this ministry I’m a part ofSo far I’ve got eleven prayer partners and nine financial partners.  If you’d be interested in partnering with me in my ministry, send me an email here and let me know whether you want to be a prayer partner, financial partner, or both.  If you’re willing to be a financial partner, please let me know how much you’d be willing to donate!  It will help me in figuring out how well we’re doing in reaching my support goal.  Thanks!