What perspective should I take towards raising prayer and financial support?
Is there any way other than begging for support?
How do I raise prayer and financial support?
» more related questionsQ: How do I handle my debts and still go into missions?
A: Trust and obey
Debt in my opinion is one of the biggest hindrances for college grads and families wanting to get onto the field. The choices you make in this area can affect whether you ever are able to get onto the field at all. I read recently that the average college student is graduating with over $30,000 in debt now. I think there are two approaches to this: 1) Pay off the debt before leaving for the field or 2) Include your loan payments in your missions budget and go now.
If you feel that plan #1 is the best for you (which I did), you should get a "loan amortization" computer program and devise a specific plan about how you are going to pay the loans...i.e. how much and how long until they are paid off...and stick to that plan as if your life depends on it. Without a plan, most people I know from college never have gotten overseas because they had no end game plan and lost focus when the debt wasn't easily paid. Make a budget, take your giving, housing, and food out first and then pay more than your plan calls for each month. Pray for supernatural bonuses and raises and keep perspective when these things come that the extra is going to pay off debt. Finally, stay involved in short-term missions so that you don't forget what God has called you to do.
If you feel plan #2 is the best for you, then start packing your bags and get moving towards raising support to get onto the field. Don't be ashamed to add XXX dollars into your budget and don't hide behind a rock when people ask about it. If I could recommend a plan for most students coming out of college, it would be this one. Here's why: In my experience, most theology/missions types are not able to land jobs that pay enough to kill debt fast (because of the focus of their degrees). While the ideal would be to have a high-paying, cush job, many missions people end up working at Wal-Mart or in a Church which pays barely enough to live on. Lest you feel guilty for asking others to pay your school debt, never forget that this is what you went to school for in the first place and what God wants you to go!
No matter which plan you follow, trust God to take care of it. You never know what will happen as you move in faith towards the mission field!
If you feel that plan #1 is the best for you (which I did), you should get a "loan amortization" computer program and devise a specific plan about how you are going to pay the loans...i.e. how much and how long until they are paid off...and stick to that plan as if your life depends on it. Without a plan, most people I know from college never have gotten overseas because they had no end game plan and lost focus when the debt wasn't easily paid. Make a budget, take your giving, housing, and food out first and then pay more than your plan calls for each month. Pray for supernatural bonuses and raises and keep perspective when these things come that the extra is going to pay off debt. Finally, stay involved in short-term missions so that you don't forget what God has called you to do.
If you feel plan #2 is the best for you, then start packing your bags and get moving towards raising support to get onto the field. Don't be ashamed to add XXX dollars into your budget and don't hide behind a rock when people ask about it. If I could recommend a plan for most students coming out of college, it would be this one. Here's why: In my experience, most theology/missions types are not able to land jobs that pay enough to kill debt fast (because of the focus of their degrees). While the ideal would be to have a high-paying, cush job, many missions people end up working at Wal-Mart or in a Church which pays barely enough to live on. Lest you feel guilty for asking others to pay your school debt, never forget that this is what you went to school for in the first place and what God wants you to go!
No matter which plan you follow, trust God to take care of it. You never know what will happen as you move in faith towards the mission field!
A: Trust God and be patient.
You must follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit in all that you do. When we left our secular careers for Bible School, we had a lot of personal debt. God always met our needs. When we left for the mission field we had some personal debt again. As we prayed about this, we sensed God's peace and while we were on the field, we were able to pay off all our debt!
I think the key issue is being sensitive to God's will for each of us. When we are faithful to do our best to obey, God will meet the needs and provide.
We learned an important principle: "When in doubt, DON'T!" If you don't sense the clear leading and guidance of God in a decision you are making the best advice is "don't" act until you "know" in your spirit what God desires you to do. Don't get impatient and react on emotion or logic, but rather trust and wait on the Lord.
I think the key issue is being sensitive to God's will for each of us. When we are faithful to do our best to obey, God will meet the needs and provide.
We learned an important principle: "When in doubt, DON'T!" If you don't sense the clear leading and guidance of God in a decision you are making the best advice is "don't" act until you "know" in your spirit what God desires you to do. Don't get impatient and react on emotion or logic, but rather trust and wait on the Lord.
A: Work hard, live frugally, and pay the debt.
I would say work hard for a couple of years, live very frugally, and pay your debts. There may be school loans you need to repay or help with the down payment on your home or money for a car. Regardless, find ways to decrease your expenses and pay this as fast as you can. While God has the ability to provide everything immediately, He may well have practical and academic lessons for you for a period of time.
Some missions are making some provision for student loans. If the missionary candidate can present our headquarters with a letter from a supporter (person or church) that promises to pay directly (not through our office) the school loans for as long as the person is a missionary with WEC, then we basically ignore the debt. We only do that with school loans. If someone has credit card debt, we want those paid before they become candidates. If someone has a home mortgage and wants to keep the house, they find someone to act as a manager for them and they rent the house at a rate that covers mortgage, taxes, etc.
Finally, and I saved the best for last – pray. We have had people who join our mission receive gifts of thousands of dollars toward indebtedness. This has been such a blessing for the missionary candidate that their trust level seems to go up several points.
Some missions are making some provision for student loans. If the missionary candidate can present our headquarters with a letter from a supporter (person or church) that promises to pay directly (not through our office) the school loans for as long as the person is a missionary with WEC, then we basically ignore the debt. We only do that with school loans. If someone has credit card debt, we want those paid before they become candidates. If someone has a home mortgage and wants to keep the house, they find someone to act as a manager for them and they rent the house at a rate that covers mortgage, taxes, etc.
Finally, and I saved the best for last – pray. We have had people who join our mission receive gifts of thousands of dollars toward indebtedness. This has been such a blessing for the missionary candidate that their trust level seems to go up several points.
A: Pray for God to help you get out of debt before you go.
We had strong convictions to be out of debt before we went on the mission field. Once we arrived, we were so glad that we were out of debt. The families under the most stress and anxiety were the ones who had left debts behind in the States. While this may have just been our experience, it was sad to see what some of the families were going through. Their budgets were tight, much of our fellowship time together was spent on their finances, they were not free to minister as they wanted and two families had to return home to take care of the bills. Pray that God will quickly provide the finances for you to clear your debts.
When we decided to go overseas, we had a mortgage on a house in a section of town where property was devaluing quicker then anyone could have expected. We put our house on the market and began praying. Our house sold in one month. We made $2,000 on the house. That may not seem a lot, but the house next to us took two years to sell and the owners lost $10,000 on their house. Our houses were exactly the same. God does take care of us. Once we were on the field, we were in a country that does not allow missionaries, so sending letters back to the states to raise funds was not easy. During the three years we were overseas, we never lacked for funds. While we did not have abundance, God took care of our every need. He gave us some of our wants. We are a family of four and He blessed us.
When we decided to go overseas, we had a mortgage on a house in a section of town where property was devaluing quicker then anyone could have expected. We put our house on the market and began praying. Our house sold in one month. We made $2,000 on the house. That may not seem a lot, but the house next to us took two years to sell and the owners lost $10,000 on their house. Our houses were exactly the same. God does take care of us. Once we were on the field, we were in a country that does not allow missionaries, so sending letters back to the states to raise funds was not easy. During the three years we were overseas, we never lacked for funds. While we did not have abundance, God took care of our every need. He gave us some of our wants. We are a family of four and He blessed us.
A: Look into MedSend grants if you will be a medical missionary.
If one is called to a career in medical missions, learn about Project MedSend. These educational loan repayment grants are for qualified applicants who have borrowed carefully, lived a restrained lifestyle and begun to repay at the first opportunity. Project MedSend provides financial counsel and has resources available that will help health professionals-in-training or pre-health students learn more about Christian financial management.
