NTM

Thank you so much to all who prayed for the Missions Conference dinner meetings I had this week!  They went very well:  9 my first night, 18 the second, and 22 the third.  I had very positive comments from all who attended, and have already seen an additional $125 a month pledged as a result.  There are still those who are praying over their part in my ministry, so please continue to pray for those who have heard the need that they will be open to however the Lord would have them be a part.

You may have noticed that the figures on my support gauge have moved around a little!  The mission continually evaluates our recommended support according to current living costs.  With the lower gas prices this year, my recommended support dropped a little to $2846 a month, down from $2970.  That means my “magic number” of 66% for return to ministry is now $1879 a month.  That means I’m only $264 a month short of my goal!

It has been an exhausting week, but well worth it.  It is amazing how much I walk away encouraged from “hearing” my own presentation!  Watching the videos about our tribal works and sharing my journey into ministry helps me remember why I’m doing all of this, and how much all the insanity and stress is worth it!  I know this is where the Lord has me, and the testimony and stories that will come out of this journey will truly be unforgettable.  I can’t ever say thank you enough for your partnership and support through it all.

Well, Thanksgiving is exactly 40 days away, and I’ve got about 25 days to figure out if I need to reserve a moving truck and start packing.  I am pushing onward, trusting that the Lord will provide what is needed to remain in ministry, but I also know I can’t stick my head in the sand and pretend that moving could never happen.

Thank you so much to all of you who have been a part of more than DOUBLING my support in the last four months.  It still leaves me speechless at what God has already done, and I can’t wait  to see what He has planned for the next few weeks.  If you’ve been keeping track on the gauge on my website, you’ll see that my support level is at exactly 50%…a far cry from the 15% I was at a year ago.  In dollar and cents, I need another $500 monthly committed in the next three weeks to remain in ministry and avoid a move.  Broken down, it means 10 individuals or families willing to commit to $50 a month, or fewer if some can give more.  Please continue to pray that God will move in the hearts of His people to give their “best gift” to help me continue in my ministry to reach the unreached tribes.  Please  also take a moment and think about those you know.  Is there someone you could talk to that might be willing to get involved?  Word of mouth is an invaluable tool in any kind of fund raising, and raising support as a missionary is no exception.

Thank you for your interest, involvement, and for joining me on this wild ride called ministry!  If you haven’t had a chance, take a few minutes and watch the video I included with my last post.  It was a great reminder to me about the reality of what we are working towards—the salvation of the 2,500 language groups that have no Gospel witness!

Well, the May deadline has come and gone, and my support remained around 25%…what could God be doing? I know I said in my last note that sometimes God leads us to the edge of a cliff, and doesn’t provide the bridge until we get there. I’m coming to realize that sometimes He doesn’t provide the bridge at all…He asks us to jump. It makes no sense by human reasoning, and we have no clue why He asks that of us. All we know is that’s what He told us to do, and we must obey. Whether we perish in the canyon below or soar on wings like eagles is not the issue. It is about our obedience. Kind of reminds me of how a guy named Abraham was told to sacrifice his only son…

So, here I sit at the end of August…what’s next? In fellowship with my church and the school administration, the decision was made in May that I needed to have my support at $2000 a month (66% of recommended support) in order to return to my ministry. That really is the minimum I need in order to be able to pay the bills and minister effectively…without the added stress of wondering where the grocery money is coming from.  The deadline was also established that I needed to reach this figure by November of this year (6 months) in order to remain in school housing.  If I did not raise $2000 a month by then, I would have to leave the school until I did raise that amount.

Now, why are some of you just now hearing about this?  My desire was to speak to everyone personally about what has been decided.  In the past three months I have been able to do just that with many of you.  However, that has not been possible in some cases, so I wanted to make sure everyone is up to date on the status of my ministry.

So what does this mean?  Well, the last three months have definitely been a journey of faith…or perhaps more accurately, a “free fall” of faith.  God has done some amazing things, and continues  to do so.  In three months, my support has doubled.  I am now at 49%, about $1350 monthly.  What a huge answer to prayer!  However, there is still a ways to go.  I need to raise an additional $650 a month before Thanksgiving.

So, what do I ask of you?  Well, first and foremost, please PRAY!!!! I have seen God accomplish some incredible things these past three months through the prayers of His saints, and I know He will continue.  Please pray that the Lord will touch the hearts of those He would have to join my support team.  Please pray for endurance for me both physically and emotionally as this can be a pretty stressful time.  Please pray that the Lord will make it abundantly clear what His will is in all of this.  Please pray that my faith will continue to be strengthened and that I would be able to completely trust Him and His plan for my life and ministry.

Now, I have a question for you.  Has the Lord touched your heart now or some time in the past about joining my financial support team?  I’d love to talk to you!  I believe such a decision should be made with as much information as possible.  I want you to understand my ministry, my heart, and how you can help train future tribal missionaries.  Please, call or drop me an email and let me know you’d like to talk.  I would love to come to you personally and share my vision with you.

Thank you for your interest in my ministry here at NTBI.  Thank you for your prayers and support.  Thank you for your work on behalf of those tribes who have no voice!

Well, maybe not a physical race (Wisconsin in the winter is hardly the place!), but the race to raise my support to at least 75% by May 15th.  Things are really starting to get down to the wire here, and I can’t say the end is in sight yet!  The past nine months I have been on furlough to raise my support levels have been very different, but very enjoyable.  I’ve had the freedom in my daily schedule to get involved in a LOT of different ministries at church (spending 15 to 20 hours a week there) as well as travel when the occasion presented itself.  I’ve spoken at some conferences and visited some churches, and these next ten days are packed full with four church visits and two Awana Games appearances.  It’s really nice that I’ve been able to combine those bookings with a visit to my parents.
This year has definitely been one of stretching my faith as our economy has tumbled.  Can you imagine trying to raise support when a good number of people are losing jobs or taking pay cuts?  By all human standards, it makes no sense at all and is a completely impossible task.  I have even lost support in the past year, but God has been faithful to raise people up to fill the holes.  All things said however, the last nine months have not been as profitable financially as I had hoped.  My support has managed to hold steady, but has not increased at all.  There’s still three months left, however, and I guess God must have something big up His sleeve to solve all this!  I know from experience that He will bring me to the edge of a cliff, but save me just before I fall over.  Well, I’m on the edge of the support cliff right now, and I know He’ll rescue me, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t some fear involved as I stand looking over the edge.

So, please pray with me that God will reveal Himself in a mighty way as this year of furlough draws to a close.  Please pray that God would touch the hearts of people who would be willing to partner with me financially to see my ministry continue unhindered.  And, just maybe, ask Him how you could be a part!