Ok, maybe that is a bit too strong, but I really, really dislike greatly asking people for money. I’ve always felt like I was a self made man because I paid my way through college working two jobs at times and joining the Marine Corps Reserves to help out. Looking back, I recognize that it was not my own doing, but God’s provision that helped me to succeed. I even hate asking people for money on behalf of nonprofit organizations I’ve been a part of.

When we determined that our best course of action in Uganda would be to go as independent missionaries, that meant that we would have to raise our own support. This was necessary because we had a specific calling to a specific country, so we didn’t fit the mold of most sending agencies. With the freedom to follow our calling came the requirement to raise money and this means asking people for support.

Asking for support is the hardest part of our transition for me. Leaving a job I love, selling the house that we enjoyed, moving in with parents, leaving everything that was familiar and leaving friends and family pale in comparison to having to ask people for money. It hits at my pride as a provider for my family.

I believe that God has put me in this position for several reasons. First, I think that He really wants to break down the pride that I’ve had. He wants me to realize that everything that I have and that can be had comes from Him and not from my efforts. To bypass my pride and realize that I can’t do this myself and am reliant on God’s providence through other people has been a difficult process that I have yet to complete. It is getting easier, but it is still difficult.

I also believe that He wants to build a reliance on Him and him alone. Through this process of moving to the mission field, we’ve had to rely on God for the entire process. For example, He could have provided us a new roof at any time or let the sale of the house go through without requiring us to put a new roof on. He didn’t do that, but instead waited until we totally put our faith in Him that he took care of the roof. Another example is that we needed $15,000 by the end of January and another $15,000 by the end of February. We had exactly $15,000 at the end of January and exactly $15,000 by the end of February. We couldn’t have done that on our own, but have had to rely on God to provide for us.

I also believe that God wants me to ask for support because an advantage of raised support is that it grows the team of supporters for us in Uganda. If people are sending us money on a monthly basis, we are likely to remain in their prayers and the need for prayer support is huge while we are in the mission field. I discussed this in my Funding Our Mission FAQ blog post.

Fundraising…I still really, really dislike it greatly, but it is necessary and part of God’s growth strategy in my life.

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