giving update

I’m wrapping up my lunch break. I’ve just had a call with my MTW support raising coach, and she and I agreed that I’ve got to keep working and praying for God to confirm my call to Kiev by moving his people’s hearts to give generously. I need full support by the end of the year, but I also need 80% of my monthly pledges in by November 15th to register for my final mandatory training in January.

After our phone call, I checked and discovered a new $50/month pledge from a friend I met with a few weeks ago: I’ve now received 36% of my monthly support.

Praise God with me! Keep praying if you’ve already pledged or given! Please pledge monthly if you’re able.

Have a great afternoon, folks!

up a wee bit

This past Friday evening I returned home from a week at Ridge Haven, in the North Carolina mountains, southwest of Asheville. I’d participated in MTW’s Living In Grace conference, a refreshing week of looking at the love and grace of God in our lives, and the reality that its not just by grace that we’re justified, but also by grace that we become more like Jesus.

There’s much I could say, but one thing that I came away with was my need to walk in greater dependence on God in prayer. Even dependent prayer is a gift that the Holy Spirit must give me, otherwise I’ll keep thinking I’m the one doing stuff in my life.

Yes, I have lots of Ukraine support raising work to do, but ultimately I’m dependent on God to move in peoples hearts to give and pray to equip and send me to Kiev. Upon coming home, I discovered two separate monthly pledges totally $35/month in new pledges–two of the people I asked you to pray for in my last update, which moved my monthly pledges from 33.5% to 34.4%, in other words, a 0.9% increase, but still 34%. I also received one time gifts and now have 54% of my one-time support.

Thanks to all who’ve pledged or given! Keep praying and giving with me as I work and pray to serve God in Ukraine. I need to be fully supported by the end of the year!

here’s the deal: give & pray today

Some of you have been following my story for a while, some are new readers.  I’m writing an email update tonight (sign up here if you’d like to join my email list), but wanted to give my blog readers a shout-out.

My support-raising deadline is technically the end of November, but I think I’ve got till the end of the year.  Either way, that’s not a lot of time, and I’ve only received 34% of my monthly support.  But 63 (or 48) new monthly supporters (and three church or very generous individuals) would meet 100% of my outstanding $2,470 monthly support need.  Here’s how:

• 1 church or person giving $300 per month
• 2 churches or people giving $150 per month
• 3 people giving $90 per month
• 10 people giving $60 per month
• 25 people giving $30 per month
• 25 people giving $10 per month (or 10 giving $25/month)

Which giver are you?

There’s lots of other ways the math could work, but the point is I need your pledge today if God plans to supply my support by the end of the year.  His provision for cross-cultural ministry will come through his people’s giving.

I’m going to help strengthen the church in Kiev using the gifts God’s given me in music ministry, evangelism, and discipleship.  Please pledge now if you haven’t, and pray now for the Lord to provide all my needs and to confirm his calling through the generous giving and praying of his people.

Will you help send me in a manner worthy of God?  3 John 5 – 8 says:

⁵Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, ⁶who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. ⁷For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. ⁸Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

Thanks!