Support-raising 101: What the Books Can't Tell You

After moving from DC to Chicago, I began the work of returning to France with Greater Europe Mission. It all involved the usual preparation of serving under a mission agency--preliminary conversations with GEM and missionaries, making all the paperwork official, writing out my doctrinal statement (as I am a nuanced writer and rather on the fringes of evangelicalism this proved more difficult than I imagined but served to push me further into God's arms and toward France), checking out books on France from the library and reading them so I would at least sound like I knew where I was going, etc. I also wrote an initial support letter and mailed it in December. I read two support-raising manuals over and over again, underlining the take-home points for quick reference. Come February, I wrote the official "I'm returning to France newsletter" replete with color pictures, Jenniferesque droning prose, a prayer needs list, and a support plea. In between that and the second newsletter edition sent in May, I wrote thank you letters to supporters, called potential supporters, sent a DVD to my home church to solicit unsuspecting members for support, sent emails, made more calls, checked the support spreadsheet update over and over again, and prayed. Wrote more thank you notes. And prayed. Oh, and prayed.

Why do I share all of this? It's not particularly exciting and it seems pretty straightforward if one has even the tiniest knowledge of development work. Why, you ask. Because it's hard, harder than I expected, difficult beyond where my initial excitement about support-raising TO SERVE IN FRANCE!!! could take and leave me, an act of faith and diligence that I often do not feel or seem equal to...you want me to ask life-long friends, peers, churches, strangers to write out monthly checks to pay for me to serve in France? Um, sure, that sounds like an absolutely fantastic idea...sign me up.

In spite of my hesitations, my cynicism, my question that this is indeed where God has led me since I was 6 years old but will everyone else get it, my fears, my lack of action driven by faith, here's what I want to say. It's a rush, an absolute fantastic rush to call GEM's office from a lovely beach side coffee shop (that had my name written all over it) for a review of the latest supporters and hear names I expected and didn't expect, to have a dear woman named Olivia recount financial gifts that surprised me, and to tell me an account total that was higher than anticipated. Don't get me wrong--there's WAY more work to do, quite a bit more support to raise, but it's beginning to pick up, and my faith is being stirred and as I've been telling others I am now myself believing, Where God has called, God has also provided--key tense here being past (a slight hint at my theology; not so "fringe", huh?).

So daily and weekly I am encouraged. I see people who know me or who don't know me but know my God giving, stepping out in faith as supporters as I step out in faith to be a minister of peace and love, of justice and truth, of Gospel. And I am incredibly humbled to be sent first by God and second at the great encouraging of others who remind me in their words "This is what you were made for." For all the hardness and difficulties and faith-building support-raising requires, it is good and I am blessed.