How Does Missionary Support Work?

Let's be real.  No one wants to talk about money.  It's awkward and uncomfortable.  But we know you have questions, and that's okay!  We thought it might be helpful to explain things in a blog post in response to some queries about how monthly support works (and why our numbers are as high as they are), especially for those who are used to religious denominations sending out missionaries as employees of the denomination.  First of all, monthly support includes our salary.  All missionaries with ABWE, whether they are surgeons or mechanics, make the same salary.  Our salary is $1560 per month.  For our eight children, we receive $1625 per month plus a $400 monthly educational stipend (homeschooling and online school is pretty pricey!).  Then we have a housing allowance of $650 a month.  We pay a bit under $800 per month in self-employment Social Security.  We pay $825 per month in health insurance, $25 in accident/life/vision insurance, $200 towards a medical expense account, and $243 monthly into a retirement account.  The remainder of our monthly support in the order of $2050 goes directly towards ministry expenses, as missionaries, through their financial partners, contribute to things like the hospital, the radio ministry, and all of the other ministries in the area.  So, as you can see, there's a lot going on, and truly our support partners are not just paying for the Fifes to be on the field, but also paying directly into the actual ministries in Togo, like the Hospital of Hope.  Pretty neat, huh?

A(nother) Big Announcement!

It's the week of big announcements for The Merry Band of Fife!  First we publicly announced that we are blessed to be expecting our eighth baby in April.  As if that isn't big enough, we have another huge announcement - we are stepping out in faith and will become full-time missionaries as of October 1st, 2016!  We noticed a trend as we returned from Candidate class in July.  As much as we were on fire for the Lord in this new capacity of missions, it was just so hard to balance secular jobs, family, and ministry.  We weren't getting as much accomplished as we wanted to - we had grand plans to have multiple face-to-face meetings scheduled beginning in August, but we hadn't had time to schedule a single one.  And so, the Lord made it abundantly clear to James that he was calling us, not this summer, not in a few months, to full-time ministry NOW.  It took me a little bit to process, but now I'm ready to step out with him, hand-in-hand, and we are SO excited to make this next step.  If you would keep us in our prayers as we step into deep waters, relying on His providence and guidance, we would sure appreciate it.  Our God is a great and mighty god!

Tell Me This Person Doesn't Exist?!

Is there such thing as a natural knack for waiting?  I don't know.  Maybe it's like the mythical unicorn.  If there is that person, well, I have yet to meet him or her, that's for sure.  Not only do I not have a natural talent for waiting, I would say that even my carefully cultivated patience skills are still mediocre at best.  And I have an independence problem.  Like that infamous toddler I too often have the mindset that says "I do it myself".  And boy oh boy.  This does NOT work when it comes to being a Pre-Field Missionary.  There is no "doing it yourself".  Raising your own salary and ministry funds for the duration of your missionary career?  Yeah, that's not happening without some SERIOUS God movement.  And I'm good at action (well, provided it doesn't involve phoning people.  I hate actually calling people on the phone so much.  If you are an introvert you understand this perfectly).  But waiting, pas tellement.  So, six weeks into this missionary journey, and yes, the waiting is the hardest test, thus far, that the Lord has put me through.  I see the photos of the folks already there, and I hear the prayer requests detailing the desperate need.  And I have to fight the voice bubbling below the surface that wants to say "Well, God, WE could be there helping.  Don't you want us there?  Didn't you call us there?  Don't we desire a good thing?".  And, on the lowest days, I simply can do little more than pray the prayer of desperation, "Lord, help my unbelief".  And He does.  I mean, of course He does.  I know that, really I do.  But sometimes that head knowledge fails to penetrate this fickle, deceitful heart.  The following Scripture, shared yesterday in our Pre-Field group, is a new one for me, not one that I return to over and over again for strength and patience, but it must might have to become one as we continue on this journey.  I share in hopes that it might speak to your own soul today or tomorrow, or whenever you are weary of this beautiful, vexatious human life.

There IS an "I" in Missionary, But There Shouldn't Be

We've only been in this entire process, from application to Candidate Seminar to Pre-Field Ministry for six months, but one thing is crystal clear.  There's no I in missionary work.  Literally, none of this happens without a huge supporting and sending structure.  From the big (financial supporters, ABWE infrastructure, prayer warriors, and so on) to the seemingly small (graphic design help, childcare assistance, an encouraging note here on our website or on Facebook), missions work is all about the body of Christ working together.  This week is a special week - we will be placing our order for our very first set of Prayer Cards.  And that couldn't have happened without the generous assistance of our church friend, who not only took beautiful photos, but presented us with a CD full of various photos AND a lovely portrait of us to hang on our wall.  This journey to the field is not just about changing the lives of the people we meet and minister to along the way, but it's just as much about changing OUR hearts.  Every new experience is a stretching and growing in the knowledge of the love of Jesus Christ and a hunger to serve him and the sheep for whom He died.

The Most Important Quality in a Wife

I said wife, simply because that's what I am, but I bet my husband would say that it applies to him too.  I'm not a perfect wife, and I don't have a perfect marriage, but in our 18 years together, I think that I have had the privilege of learning a few things as we've weathered the normal ups and downs of "happily ever after".  I don't know if it's just me, but washing dishes is my place of "aha" moments and I had one this week - I truly think that the character trait that the Lord has been gracious to grow and stretch me in that has benefited our marriage most is forgiveness.  Through no merit of my own (I've got a pretty quick trigger temper, combined with an mulish tendency towards stubbornness), I always find my heart softened and open towards my spouse a few short hours after a conflict.  And it's really not dependent upon his actions; it's a desire for inner peace with the Lord and a big dose of empathy - being able to see things through his perspective and understand why he does the things he does, for better or for worse.

One of my favorite parables about forgiveness: Matthew 18:21-35

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?"

Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy seven times.

"Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
At this the servant fell on his knees before him.  'Be patient with me', he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
"But when the servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.'
"But he refused. Instead he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
"Then the master called the servant in, 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

Houston, We Have Recovered

I have a love/hate relationship with camping.  I think it's so, so good for the family and leaves your children with tons of memories to carry them through the years.  I grew up camping A LOT, and while I certainly complained (at times quite vociferously) as a teen, now I look back at those family bonding moments with great fondness.  But here's one secret that no one tells you as a kid: camping as a mom is a whole other ballgame.  It's so much work, from the moment of planning, through preparation, through execution, and then, to add insult to injury, the clean up is epic.  I also am a bit of an overachiever in terms of post-camping clean up, so that doesn't help.  Everything has to be washed, scrubbed, and decontaminated after we arrive back home.  I even wash camping toys, backpacks, and shoes.  It's just a thing for me.  So, the process of recuperating sometimes takes up to a week.  But I think I made a personal best this camping trip - everything was washed and put neatly back away in their respective places by last night.  That includes every pillow, every duvet, every sleeping bag (I've got a LOT of sleeping bags to wash), every towel, every utensil, every.thing.  All loaded into bins and put away on the garage shelves so that my garage floor does not look like an American Ninja Warrior obstacle course.  Life is good.  Or I have a bit of a problem.  Maybe both?  I wouldn't argue with you there... :)

A Little Preview from our "Dreadful" Night ;P

Oh my, look what a fantastic job our photographer did last night?!  She was so excited to share with us that she messaged me one of the finished photos last night already.  I can't wait to see the rest.  We are so blessed to have brothers and sisters in Christ that invest with their time, TALENT, and treasure in our family and in God's work.

Photo Courtesy of Mrs. A. Bourn