Therefore, my dear brothers,
stand firm. Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully
to the work of the Lord,
because you know that
your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Why do you need partners? Why do you believe to raise support this way? Why should I become a partner?
Our Heart is Friends
Out with the Old Mindset and in with the New!
From day one we learn how to be independent. You are encouraged to walk, eat, get dressed all on your own... and although we need to do things on our own to help enable us to make decisions, learn responsibility and gain a sense of freedom, as the saying goes, “No man is an island”.
It has been a very thought (and heart) provoking journey to challenge society’s ideas of financial independence. We have willingly entered a career in which we choose not to get paid... where is the sense in that? However, as we marked our 10 years in full-time missions, we have only begun to scratch the surface of what we have signed up for, and we’ll tell you - It is FAR BETTER than we could have imagined or even hoped for!
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" Ironically, the more we purport to be strong without the help of others,
the more we are weakened. At the same time, confessing our weakness and admitting
our need for God and others strengthen us."
- Friend Raising, Betty Barnett
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One of my favorite books on the subject of finances is Friend Raising by Betty Barnett . She articulates so well what we have been struggling to communicate for years. The opening line says, ‘Many Christians considering full-time missionary service are more fearful of support raising than of being martyred on the mission field’. That is 100% me. In fact, that is almost everyone I know who is in full-time missions. So with that in mind, I wanted to learn why this is... because this shouldn’t be the case. And if I could understand why, then maybe it wouldn’t be so hard... but boy, was I wrong!
Like I said, independence is something you are learning your whole life and now learning to embrace the opposite is something that has begun to stretch me to a new found freedom.
Why can’t I be independent?
Bottom line... people need people. How would life be if it was you and ONLY you? Adam needed Eve because the wildlife just wasn’t cutting it.
Some people need people more than others. I LOVE people! I NEED people! In fact, my Kindergarten report card commented that I was the “social butterfly” of the class. In fact, I often comment that I have an illness called the ‘I don’t want to miss out on anything’ disease. People bring me life and I am refreshed by spending time with LOTS of people. Luke is more the one-on-one kind of guy. He is refreshed by the building of deep friendships. Either way, we need people and it brings life!
I have been introduced to an unfamiliar term but it is something that I have believed in and have been practicing for years. It is INTERDEPENDENCE.
Defined, Interdependence is ‘a dynamic of being mutually responsible to and sharing a common set of principles with others. Interdependence recognizes the truth in each position and weaves them together. It can also be defined as the interconnectedness and the reliance on one another.’
As explained, it's about relationship. It's about unity. It’s about friends. It's sharing the values of God’s work and working together to see it happen.
God’s Work is Everyone’s Calling.
We are all called to do God’s work, whether in our home town or in a foreign land, and how much more effective would we be if we were united in purpose with our friends... The relationship is already there! Our friends are the closest thing to our heart, so as we invest into one another emotionally and spiritually, it would be a wonderful privilege for us to work with you “professionally”.
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" I sensed the Lord saying, 'The tree's strength depends on it's broad
network of roots. Your strength depends on the wide
network of interdependant people with you in My service.
Therefore, in battle you are able to withstand the firey darts of the enemy.'"
- Friend Raising, Betty Barnett
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Let me explain to you that inviting you to partner with us is much more than money. It is us asking you to DEEPEN OUR FRIENDSHIP! It is the love and excitement of the relationship we have with you that compels us to invite you to work together with us to see God’s heart outworked around the world.
Our prayer is that you would be encouraged to strengthen our natural camaraderie and kindred-spirit. That we can influence the nations together as we pour into one another. That we can be united in Spirit and in Action!
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Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work...
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9,12
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