Ask a Missionary - Catch The Fire

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us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many” (2 Corinthians 1:11, esv). Answer from Jack Voelkel, missionary-in-residence with the Urbana Student Mission Convention. Previously Jack served thirty years with Latin America Mission in Peru and Colombia. A: Resist the temptation to fear. God did not give us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). Think about it. If God is leading you, then who would like you to be so afraid of doing what it takes to become a missionary? The enemy! Resist the temptation to allow support raising to be a fearful experience or an obstacle that keeps you from going into missions. Support raising simply means sharing with others the exciting vision God has given you. When people hear your heart (and God’s direction) as you share, they will get involved. Usually support will come from sources you did not expect. Support raising is an exciting faith-walk with God. As you meet with people to share your mission vision, listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit. This takes some practice, and you may make some mistakes at first. For example, when you meet with a pastor, a missions committee, or an individual, know that the Holy Spirit will guide you in what to say and do. And follow the peace of Christ in the decisions that you make. If you don’t have peace, move on and don’t dwell on it. When you sense the peace of the Lord, you can be confident that God is at work, making a divine connection to your support team. Answer from Kelly, a missionary in Southeast Asia. 124 | Ask a Missionary
A: Avoid sales pressure as well as presumption. My experience over the last decade as a faith-supported missionary is that I’ve had lots of fears and confusion regarding financial support. But it all boils down to two questions. When I answer yes to both of them, everything is OK. When I don’t answer yes, I consistently run into problems. Here are the questions: 1. Do I trust that God will take care of me and not “hang me out to dry”? 2. Am I asking God for provision each day (“Give us this day our daily bread”) and accepting each day’s provision with heartfelt thankfulness? Some type of formal training in raising support is a good idea. Scriptural teaching on support raising is crucial, as is learning from the experiences of others. Training is important, since missionaries all too easily fall to one extreme or the other—humanistic sales strategies or presumptuous faith. Answer from Nate Wilson, a mission mobilizer with Caleb Project. A: Never doubt God’s involvement and provision. When I was preparing to serve short-term, I estimated the amount of money I needed per month to stay for eight months. As I put money into my savings account, I thought I had enough money for this short-term trip. So when people asked me about the finances I would need, I told them that my savings would cover the trip. Just before leaving, however, I had several unexpected expenses, including new eyeglasses. Then, when I arrived in Equatorial Guinea, my expenses were higher than I had expected, and I quickly realized I had enough funds to last only about four months. I also realized that I needed to extend my time in Equatorial Guinea for an additional seven months to accomplish the work I was there to do. FUNDING: Figuring It Out | 125
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Ask a Missionary Time-Tested Answer
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This book is a great resource for m
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Authentic Publishing A Ministry of
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Things Nobody Told Me 110 Yes. No.
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John McVay John McVay served as a m
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Imagine Your Own Gripping Story 1 W
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Toward Your Own Story Most Christia
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Guidance Discovering God’s Plan 2
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You’ll bring the bikes to the sch
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market, the post office, the park.
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A: Look for an inner conviction, fo
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eceived concrete and definite direc
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A: Ask God to use you and watch him
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This topic is one of the themes dis
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A: Discouragement is a part of life
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ack home. I’ve got a life and a f
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I was a mechanical engineer, and my
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Answer from Paul, who has served as
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going!” It may be that as you hav
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there? What kinds of office politic
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joy, and the tug of our hearts—as
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seek God’s will with a determinat
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A: Yes. Strategically select your s
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go and help. These extended, opport
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passed by a number of opportunities
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How do I believe God typically guid
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Agencies Researching the Options 3
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Jim, obviously nervous, simply said
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your own financial support. However
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for its missionaries’ safety, hea
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• Teamwork. The New Testament con
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A: Because they find help in other
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A: Because their church serves as a
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served as a minister within this de
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A Thorough Exam In some ways, joini
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Does the mission have plans to move
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Does the agency make disciples or j
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3. You have more opportunities to a
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When to Begin? Which agency you joi
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So ask the Holy Spirit to guide you
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Page 85 and 86: well. Sometimes he goes after famil
Page 87 and 88: a bright room decorated with dozens
Page 89 and 90: Q: What perspective should I take t
Page 91 and 92: Study”). It will give you a syste
Page 93 and 94: A: Fast can end up being slow. A de
Page 95 and 96: Our ministry, wherever we are, shou
Page 97 and 98: A: In the middle of your university
Page 99 and 100: Avenues of Training Learning should
Page 101 and 102: A: Get experience in your church, a
Page 103 and 104: How much training should you get in
Page 105 and 106: A: Volunteer, integrate faith into
Page 107 and 108: second language is useful. Or a deg
Page 109 and 110: If you will work in a sensitive cou
Page 111 and 112: purpose behind your studies. The ti
Page 113 and 114: A: God’s plan for us in missions
Page 115 and 116: If you’re a native English speake
Page 117 and 118: language we’ll be working in. (Al
Page 119 and 120: there will be all kinds of new mann
Page 121 and 122: series of books on different cultur
Page 123 and 124: A: I wish I had learned about spiri
Page 125 and 126: in the amazing to-do list of Philip
Page 127 and 128: If I don’t want advanced training
Page 129 and 130: Funding Figuring It Out 5 THE COld
Page 131 and 132: Bill sat back at his greasy desk an
Page 133: A: Let God grow your faith. Ultimat
Page 137 and 138: • God owns all, yet he is the mos
Page 139 and 140: church priorities. Now when I see l
Page 141 and 142: first, ask God what he intends for
Page 143 and 144: We see three groups of people here:
Page 145 and 146: Bristol, England, by faith in the p
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Page 149 and 150: A: Yes. Trust God for all your fina
Page 151 and 152: A: Work part-time and study part-ti
Page 153 and 154: (because their degrees are not in d
Page 155 and 156: When we decided to go overseas, we
Page 157 and 158: A: Start early contributing each mo
Page 159 and 160: Over a challenging three years, the
Page 161 and 162: From Philippians 4:10-20, what can
Page 163 and 164: have been ruined because of him.”
Page 165 and 166: the tribal chief became followers o
Page 167 and 168: A: Both singleness and marriage hav
Page 169 and 170: A: Single missionaries have more fl
Page 171 and 172: although I wanted to get married, I
Page 173 and 174: A: Yes, but work toward a common vi
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Page 177 and 178: I decided to go on the mission fiel
Page 179 and 180: A: If it’s God’s plan, he will
Page 181 and 182: Your family’s mission story may b
Page 183 and 184: A: Yes. Consider these benefits of
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Answer from David Smith, director o
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education was either from home scho
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Q: Can I become a missionary if my
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How would I deal with loneliness an
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The Challenge Moving Forward 7 Dr.
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missionary friend Phil almost choke
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qualities for cross-cultural missio
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Acknowledgments The editor, John Mc
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Notes Chapter 2: Guidance 1. Excerp
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Resources for Further Study These m
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around the world, new resources, an
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Friend Raising: Building a Missiona
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People Raising: A Practical Guide t
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Encountering Islam Keith Swartley,
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Mukappa.org Links to resources, spi
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Resources for Women in Missions Par
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The Definitive Prayer Handbook for
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