In 2014 I was living in an urban slum in Cape Town, South Africa, and I had a vision that I would have another season with YWAM. Knowing that I had a call to global missions, but also feeling a call to local missions in the US, I deeply desired another season of serving at my home church. God answered that desire by the perfect position opening up at my home church, for which I interviewed for while in South Africa, and once I came home, I started in that position.
At the end of 2015, some friends from YWAM came to visit me in LA- at this point, I had been working at the church, living in an intentional Christian community neighborhood (literally living in John Perkins old home- www.ccda.org), and starting my Masters degree at Fuller Seminary in Global Leadership-- all pursuing this local and global missions Call.
My friends reminded me of that vision, and partnered with what I felt called to, they pointed out how YWAM is an immersion of what I am studying at Fuller, and the next step in my gaining experience in global missions.
So its been over a year of my praying, discerning, praying some more, strategizing, making really embarrassingly tedious GoogleDocs and getting input from my community...
Now here we are.
I've read a pile of books on support team building, I've spent hours weekly connecting with my support team, met with our Missions Pastor whenever I could, reviewed the Perspectives in World Missions Course I took a few years ago... I felt at least a bit prepared, and yet I wasn't prepared for this statement:
Fundraising has been by far one of the most life-giving things I have ever done.
Truly. Every bit of me wants to tell every person I met- especially Christians!
I say this- with only at 1/3 of my monthly giving goal met (but with trust that God is actively using His people to provide the remainder)- this whole picture of the faithfulness of God's people isn't just about money. What has been life-giving are these stories as I have watched God's people live out what faithfulness is-- it is praying and partnering with God, with no guilt- and I am deeply encouraged by it, and I hope you will be too!
I share this because I read the books, I prepared a binder for presentations (*nerd*), I met with financial advisors, I met with people who have fundraised before for long-term missions... and nothing prepare me for the joy that I have experienced in the release of the stress around "fundraising" and instead experiencing the BEAUTY of the Church... let me just start sharing stories, I want you to pay attention to how you even know picture "fundraising" to be, and instead what can be possible:
- Among my financial supporters are homeless friends, families who live in my neighborhood who live below the poverty line, students from 4th-12th, recently graduated college students and the 1%--- ALL who have prayed, and humbly have repeated this line back to me: "We simply want to be faithful to the ways that God is calling us to partner"-- which has truly been the most humble and powerful testimony of the diversity and faithfulness of God's people- that the "rich" giving $10, and the "poor" giving $10 is equally as beautiful if that is what God is asking of them- and I love the relief of any guilt.
- There is a group of women that have met together for decades to pray for missionaries once a month- my grandmother (inspiration of my life) was a part of that group- and they have agreed to add me to their roster to pray for as the next generation of missionaries.
- Many families from our church have partnered with me- I simply presented an opportunity and asked them to pray about how they would want to creatively engage- and I've gotten responses to agree as a family unit to pray, to put on benefit concert, kids that will set aside allowance, to put on a lemonade stand, kids who are going to send me care packages, kids who have put magnets to remind them to pray for me on every corner of their house and locker.s.. its just amazing.
- There is a large group of retired women who meet monthly at our church to pray for our churches missionaries- they had me come in to share with them and have been actively praying- one of the women in attendance was my 2nd grade Sunday school teacher (which she remembers clearly as apparently I was quite the rambunctious child, ha).
- So far I have over 130 Middle & High School students signed up to pray for me.
- I have families partnering with me from all parts of the world- one of my favorite moments was a dad taking what I shared about my role in helping lead a cross-cultural team and the complications and blessings of that dynamic- and he compared it to his kids as the diversity of Mexicans and Guatemalans and how that shifts a church body when those dynamics exist.
- Another highlight was my sharing with a family, and a father re-articulating my desire of students partnering with me financially (in wanting to give ownership), as the story of the Widow in Mark 12- that we can all be faithful- it is not up to us to assume that the wealthy (ie parents by comparison to their kids) are the only ones capable of being faithful to give.
- I've met with many families over home cooked meals in home or at fast food joints; and with individuals as they set up communion at our church, over Skype or exercising together.. seeing my support team come together as people have initiated conversations between church services, on the dance floor at a wedding and by unexpected phone calls... I have been SO encouraged, SO humbled, and SO excited as God has reminded me of the beauty and great faithfulness of his Church and His people...
Thank you each one of you for the ways that you have encouraged me, I am doing my best to not forget how sacred this season has been in learning from you!
Gratefully, KJ