The purpose of this post is two fold. Before I launch on the World Race I want you to know my testimony. Where I’ve come from, and who I am because of God. Also, you have invested in me both money and time. I feel responsible to you my supporters to be accountable with those donations. The purpose of this Race is not so I can have adventures, see sights, and rack up air miles. This Race is about God’s plan for his people: you the support team, us the mission team, and the people God will place in our lives along the way. Let’s talk finances.
Money management is a valuable life skill. Spending less than one makes should be common sense. However, most of my life I have struggled in these areas. Dad tried to teach me. We did not receive an allowance as kids; we were paid an hourly wage. Once a week Dad sat us down with our timesheets, paid us, and then helped us “budget” our money into Hershey’s hot fudge sauce cans labeled Savings, Tithe, Spending. We opened my first checking account at age 12. We were going to Disney World, and Dad wanted my brother and me to be responsible for our own souvenir and goodies purchases. Yet despite Dad’s best efforts I had to learn financial lessons and money management the hard way. Throughout high school and college I consistently overspent and never tithed or saved. Between college and graduate school I got the spending reined kinda (cash only works well) and began saving sorta. Yet tithing was still non-existent.
On September 1, 2010 I moved to Denver, Colorado to begin graduate school. Though I had gone to college and supported myself before, that first quarter I panicked about being on my own financially. Looking back I can see that God was keeping me unsettled so I would depend on him and begin obeying his financial rules. Earlier that year my oldest sister had given me her testimony about tithing, and I had thought, “That’s nice, but I can’t afford to tithe.” Shortly after arriving in Denver, God lead me to what became my home church. That fall Pastor taught about the tithe using Malachi 3:8-12. I remember clearly him teaching on the devourer because the devourer came in the form of two speeding tickets. First, I was caught speeding in a school zone because I was still slowing down after entering the school zone. I was going slow enough that the cop stepped in front of my car to stop me, yet he had clocked me traveling a couple of miles over the limit after crossing into the zone. That’s a few hundred dollars. Second, I sped in a construction zone that I did not know was a construction zone. Seriously, it was early in the morning on a split highway I had not driven before. No one was working and all the equipment was parked on the other side of the highway, and I never saw a sign that said we were entering a construction zone. That’s several hundred dollars too. I surrendered to the tithe.
The next year brought opportunities to rest in God’s promise to provide all of my needs. It was a big step of faith to begin tithing; an even bigger step when I did not apply for student loans for the following year. Not all of my bad habits were fixed in a year (some still aren’t), but I was doing much better and looking for areas to cut expenses. In July, I decided to move at the end of my lease. Dad and Mom were less than thrilled with the idea of helping me move so they asked me to come up with a rent amount that would make moving worth the headache. After going camping over night alone to fast and pray, I was at peace with moving if I found a place under $500, and I had agreed to sell my truck. In Denver, six weeks prior to moving is the magic week for finding a new apartment and the sixth week I was out of town. I came home to nothing for rent available earlier than mid-September and nothing for rent in my price range, but God worked it out. He provided a studio for less than $500; on a major, safe bus route; with a parking space I could rent out; and a great community. That’s a cool story too. Surrendering to the tithe and walking in obedience were big lessons, but the biggest happened a few weeks later.
Between mid-October and mid-December used to be the time when all of my annual bills were due. It was always a stressful time of year as I scrambled to find the hundreds required for licenses and insurance premiums in addition to my usual monthly expenses. That August I also needed the deposit and first month on the new studio and tuition at $1,000/credit. One day I logged into my account at work, saw $152, walked out of the building, and burst into tears. How was this going to work? I would not have student loans coming, my GTA only covered part of tuition, my two student jobs didn’t pay much, nor would my paychecks come in before expenses needed to go out! I called Mom in despair. She asked if they should send some money, and all I could say was, “If you do I’ll never learn.” God smiled. I don’t know how, but for the next four months every bill was paid on time and my account was never over drawn. Even on days when a deposit came in as a payment went out the deposit was counted first. That fall became a marker in my life. A time that I can look to and say, “My Father will provide.” I had to first stop depending on my earthly father to bail me out.
Selling the truck that fall was an instant relief in monthly expenses, but not having a truck taught me how to ask for help. I was without a four wheeled vehicle (I had a Suzuki 250 motorcycle) for 26 months. God used that time to humble me; teaching me to be more dependent and willing to accept assistance. Four lessons that set me up for the Race: 1) tithe – the first 10% is God’s, 2) obey God’s leading, 3) God is my provider, and 4) it’s okay to ask for help.
This summer in the beginning stages of fundraising Holy Spirit stirred my heart about tithing. I went to God and asked if donations counted as increase. Donations to me personally were increase, of course, but what about the donations to Adventures in Missions on my behalf?
As I prayed about it God asked me, “What is increase?”
“A salary. The money received for the job you do.”
“Then what is a missionary’s salary?”
“The donations others give to support their ministry.”
“So do you need to tithe all of your donations?”
“Well when you put it that way.”
The last Shabbat at my home church in Denver, I wrote a check for $1,628, 10% of the total to be donated to AIM for the the Race. That stretched me. I had been unemployed for a few weeks at that point and was looking at fourteen months until our return in December 2015. That was six weeks after being accepted to the Race, and I had yet to raise a penny. Additionally, I confirmed to God that I would return his tithe on donations given to me as well. I am following God’s call confident that he will provide.
Facing our first fundraising deadline was stressful. When my account was short I did worry and fret and loose sight of his promise. But I never doubted God or this calling, I was frustrated that I had failed AIM. Turns out the final donations needed to put me over the goal came in on the deadline date. When I saw that it was like God saying, “I’ve got this.” He did tell me that week I was only allowed to check my balance once a week from then on so I picked Sundays. He said to look at fundraising like my birthday with great expectation and excitement for the surprises He was bringing. At the time I did not know that my birthday would fall on a Sunday this year. God is so good with surprises! I learned I was fully funded on my birthday!! Two and a half weeks before launch I was fully funded. I believe tithing the donations before receiving any opened the store houses of heaven. He says to test him in this.
Fundraising, asking for help, became a form of community building. It opened doors to meet new people. It provided opportunities to share my faith and what God was doing in my life. It was an excuse to make a phone call or go to someone’s house and chat and in those chats I learned more about what was important to them. God called several families and individuals as well as two churches to be financial backers for this mission trip and many, many more to be prayer support. I am so thankful for each one of you and am praying that God multiplies your time and money in return.
Throughout this process I have not felt burdened to fundraise for personal expenses: purchases in preparation of the Race, Race related expenses next year, and bills that must be paid at home. I share this not to get donations, but to be real. As I have prayed about it and talked to my mentor I have consistently gotten, “Don’t worry about tomorrow.” (Matt 6:34 paraphrased) The money was there for all of the purchases I needed to make, and everything was on sale! Right now as I write I don’t quite have the money in my accounts to pay for expenses and bills next year. But I don’t need that money right now. Morning Star Baptist Church in Alpine, WY and Mt. Hope Baptist Church in Crane Hill, AL have both pledged support next year. I’m resting on his promise to provide what I need when I need it. I’m also looking forward to continued surprises. It’s fun to see how creative our Father is when he provides. 🙂
What I did ask for was prayer for wisdom in packing, and this week I learned that Morning Star has been praying just that. No wonder I have peace about what is in my pack! God is so good.
