Archive for the ‘Missions’ Category
Deputation: Follow the Money Trail
We are so thankful for the supporting churches the Lord has blessed us with that makes it financially possible for us to minister in Italy. We still lack just under 10% of our support needed but trust the remainder will come in from churches who have expressed their intentions to partner with us as well as others we have visited in the past that are unknown to us as part of God’s plan for provision.
Around 50% of our support is within a 6 hour radius of our home-base in southern Ohio. Outside of our home-base region I tried to target churches in select geographic areas based on an initial contact, referral, or cities we would be passing through on our travels, etc. Below is a breakdown on the percentage of support we are currently receiving from churches in each state.
Ohio… 23.8%
Florida… 11.2%
New York… 8.6%
Texas… 7.1%
Indiana… 5.3%
Pennsylvania… 5.3%
Alabama… 5.0%
Nevada… 4.9%
New England… 4.4%
Michigan… 3.8%
California… 3.7%
Georgia… 3.4%
Kentucky… 2.5%
Tennessee… 2.1%
Virginia… 2.0%
W. Virginia… 1.8%
Arizona… 1.2%
Missouri… 1.2%
Oklahoma… 1.2%
Louisiana… 0.9%
N. Carolina… 0.6%
Deputation: By the Numbers
Start date and location for full-time deputation: Sunday July 26, 2009* in New York
* We had several months of part-time deputation while Sandy was expecting our daughter Pearl. We only had 10% financial support when I quit my job as an engineer to begin deputation full-time.
End date and location for deputation: October 30, 2011 in California
Total miles driven on deputation: approx. 100,000 miles
Longest hours spent driving in a single day: 17 hours
Total number of churches visited: 261*
* 54 of the 261 meetings at churches were mission conferences or mission emphasis days
Total number of prayer cards passed out: approx. 15,000
Total number of States where we had meetings: 27*
* includes churches in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia
Total number of beds slept in: 151*
* Of the 151 beds, 75 were at hotels/condos, 43 were at mission apartments, 33 were at church members’ homes, 1 was at a camp cabin in Colorado
Money spent on gas: approx. $23,000
Money spent on hotels: approx. $10,000
Fear and Trembling
For over two years we have traveled the country full-time in an attempt to gain financial support from local Baptist churches for the Italian mission field where the Lord has called us to labor. Yesterday afternoon was rather surreal as we left our last meeting of deputation in Oceanside, California and drove towards home in Ohio. We stopped at a mission apartment for the night in Las Vegas and with my family settled inside I stood alone by our SUV. The elation I had felt earlier in the day was not the emotion I was now experiencing.
The responsibility of God’s call to the foreign mission field, the reality that we would be leaving all we’ve ever known in less than two months, the uncertainties of finding the right apartment for my family and the lack of our monetary start-up fund, the expectations of supporting churches, the necessity of learning the Italian language, the difficulties facing my wife and kids in the transition to a new culture, the good-byes to family, preparations for the big move, etc., all seemed to fall heavily upon my shoulders and I felt alone and afraid. A hundred questions flooded my mind as I looked up into the starry night and I cried out to God, “Lord, I’m insufficient for these things. I’m scared.” I continued to pray and felt completely overwhelmed.
The silence was interrupted by a friendly greeting from another missionary who was staying in the other part of the mission house duplex. He had come out to the driveway to retrieve something from his car and began a conversation with me. I really needed something from God but we exchanged pleasantries and he handed me a prayer card before returning back into the house.
My mind returned to the life-altering work God had called me to in Italy. Once again I began to feel very small and alone as I flipped the prayer card over and saw the scripture verse printed on the back…
“Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.” – 1 Chronicles 28:20
The context is David admonishing Solomon as he prepared to take over the kingdom and build the Temple but the instruction of this scripture and its spiritual application to my life and situation was a timely answer from God. Thank you Lord Jesus for never failing me nor forsaking me. I’m excited about what God will accomplish in the work He has called me to as I yield myself to Him.