We're long overdue for a ministry update. This one will primarily focus on the latest with our family and ministry going forward. There are several reasons we've not written as much about ministry as we used to. Not living and working on the field makes it challenging to come up with interesting material. Additionally, ministry has been slow-moving for me. While there's plenty to do, we've increasingly needed to supplement our income with other work, making it difficult to fully engage in ministry tasks. We've been trying to build a business to fill the gap left by reduced support. However, while our business efforts have borne fruit, it's been slower than anticipated. We're now at a pivotal point where we must either lean back into fundraising to continue ministry or, gulp, step away from ministry altogether.
We've done a lot of soul-searching and prayer over the past year and had discussions with our co-workers and several of our supporters. We feel the Lord is still making it clear that the need in Mibu remains great and that continuing in ministry is the best way forward. There's still much translating that needs to be done, as well as lessons to develop and teach. While my body may be screaming at me to stop being in front of a computer, I am still compelled and find great joy in serving the church in Mibu through translation, lessons, and consulting with church leaders. The work there needs to be finished. It's a long-term task. If we hypothesize my being out of the picture, the idea of having someone else go through all the years and effort of living with the community, learning the language and culture, and getting up to speed to take over seems unlikely. Sure, God is capable of anything, but it's clear to us that God has uniquely prepared us to serve effectively in Mibu. As unworthy as we are of the task, it is indeed us that He put there! We feel that calling still, and we plan to do whatever is needed to be good stewards of the work He has given us.
For many years, generous supporters have freed us up to do this ministry full-time among our now brothers and sisters in Mibu. God has poured out His abundance of mercy and grace through those many gifts and prayers, and into all our efforts in Mibu! We're seeing the fruit of that in the strength of the church there. Recently, though, I've noticed how distracting it has become to work outside of ministry as much as I have been. Ministry has continued, but my mind is jumbled with so many other things, and the effort I do give isn't moving the needle forward as it should. I'd like to pare those efforts back and, instead of aggressively growing our business, just maintain what we've built for now so that more of my limited capacity can be devoted to ministry again.
Many people have been asking, so this is primarily to inform you of where our hearts are at. We're going to start back into "fundraising mode" in hopes that I can get moving again with translation and lessons. Right now, our average monthly support is at 57% of what is recommended. Even in this low-support era, we have seen how our gracious God has provided! The odd gift here and there, a recent burst of income from the business, finding the occasional piece of furniture to flip, or stumbling across a great deal on something we need but otherwise couldn't afford—God is good, and we have so much to be thankful for! It has become clear, though, that strategically, we should strive to get our regular monthly support back up so that I can prioritize my efforts on ministry.
So first and foremost, I'd like to ask you to be in prayer for this process as we try to increase our fundraising efforts and communication again. If you are looking for a place to designate resources to a church planting effort that is getting more and more of God's word translated into a language that has never had it, Mibu Ministry is still a great option! If that's you, please use the 'donate' button at the top of this email or if you're reading on the blog look for the 'Donate Here' link on the right hand side.
No comments:
Post a Comment