From a reader who is preparing to move overseas:
How is everyone funded?
(If you have a “Tuesday Topic” question, please email it to me at fylliska@gmail.com. Provide your blog address if you would like to be linked to, or specify if you would like to remain anonymous. Thanks!)
We raise our full support, and are supported mostly by individuals, as well as three different churches. Most of the people who support us are personal friends. Hope your preparation and fundraising goes well!
ReplyDeleteWe are mostly supported by friends, who are mostly based in our two home churches. Those two churches also support us some from their budgets. Also the local mission we work with here pays my husband a little for specific bits of work that he does.
ReplyDeleteThe strange and wonderful thing about our situation is that we never had to "raise support" or "do deputation." God was very merciful to us in that. When we first went overseas, we worked for a few years. As we realized that full-time work wasn't what we were there for, our friends and churches began offering to support us. It was (and is) a wonderful miracle.
That's a beautiful testimony, Phyllis!
DeleteWe spent three years traveling and visiting churches to raise our support. When we left for the mission field, our support came from about 30 churches and 20 individuals. Now we are down to an even ratio and needing to raise additional funds (some folks have chosen not to continue as we are changing fields). We have chosen to focus on partnership development with individuals this time around. Different, but good - and we definitely feel there is a place for both models as well as just about anything in between.
ReplyDeleteWe're financially self supporting as my husband's computer programming business is a part of our mission here -- to train and employ locals. Our prayer support comes from friends, family and principally 3 churches which we attended during the years prior to leaving the US (which involved some travel within the US, hence it being more than one church -- hidden blessing in all that moving, huh?)
ReplyDeleteI like that you employ locals! AWESOME!
DeleteI decided just to do the tent-making thing (as I'm working as a missionary teacher)... but people back home send me care packages with all kinds of household stuff which helps a LOT.
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