Sufficiently and Extravagantly Financial (5 of 5)
Missionary Finances
As I stated before, since we started out as full-time missionaries our finances have changed drastically. We are now in the “Missionary Finance World.” That means we are living on a few different variables than before. Here are three:
Living on Support – Living on support means that churches or individuals have chosen to financially support our family as we minister in China. People give and we receive. This is humbling in itself. I had given to missions since I was a teenager and now I was on the receiving end.
When raising support, we figured a certain number that we would like to raise and when we have that much coming in we consider our support to be at 100%. The interesting thing I learned about support is that every month it is different. It is hard for a missionary to say that he is at 100% because each month his support is different. One month he might only bring in 90% and the next month he brings in 105%.
We have supporters who faithfully send in every month, we have supporters who send in every three months, supporters who send in at random intervals and random amounts. We have had churches that had to decrease their support amount because of financial hardships and others churches that increased their support because of financial blessings. We have new churches take us on and to my knowledge we have only had one church drop our support (because the church closed).
There is no right or wrong way in this, it is just the reality of living on support. We are thankful for all who choose to have a part in supporting our ministry.
Living on an Exchange Rate – Wether we pay with a debit card or use cash their is an exchange rate involved. Exchange rates change daily. When you get used to a certain exchange rate and then you realize that it has changed for the worse, and you get less money in the exchange than before, it’s frustrating. A missionary can actually loose or gain a percentage of his support based on how much the exchange rate changes.
Living on Cash – Before we left America, we could pay for almost anything with our debit card. We could easily track our expenses online and know exactly where our money was going. Since moving here that has changed because most of our daily expenses are paid in cash. Of course our bills that are based in America our mission board helps us pay or we use online bill pay, but the everyday expenses and cost that are China based, we use cash. Some of the nicer places accept our debit card, but not many.
Therefore, we have adopted using the envelope system. We made a budget that we try to live by and we have adjusted it over the past several months. At the beginning of each month we withdrawal the money that we will spend that month from an ATM and place a specific amount in each envelope based on the category. Then whenever we need to spend the money, we just take it out of the corresponding envelope and write down what we spent it on and the new amount in the envelope. The system isn’t perfect and there are months we go over and have unexpected cost, but we have emergency funds setup to help with that. This helps us see where we are spending money and to be good stewards of our support.
06.17.11
Sufficiently and Extravagantly Financial (4 of 5)
Giving
Every since I was young and had my first few jobs, I was taught to tithe and give to missions. I remember wanting to do right with my money and give 10% and then seeking the Lord for what more He wanted me to give in faith promise. This taught me to be a giver.
As I grew older and was taught and learned more from the Bible about giving. I realize that tithing wasn’t the max giving but was just a good starting point. I met other men of God who where great givers and invested their money in the work of God. They wan’t to see God do great things. I was challenged to be a giver not by law but by grace, this raised the standard. We realized we weren’t blessed just for our own benefit but to be a blessing to others.
Then I heard about a man who decided that he wanted to give more to God’s house than he spent on his own house every month. This too was convicting and I wanted to do the same. Do you ever have those moments where you want to give and then you try to decide, should I give expecting God to take care of me or wait until God blesses my income so that I can give more. I am not sure what we decided, I just know that we increased our giving until we were able to give more in a month than our monthly rent at that time. God continue to bless and continued to take care of our needs above and beyond.
Now we are trying to do our best to “live sufficiently; give extravagantly. not visa versa.”
Next Post: Sufficiently and Extravagantly Financial (5 of 5) – “Missionary Finances”
06.16.11
Sufficiently and Extravagantly Financial (3 of 5)
Live by Faith in My Finances
I have strived to lived by faith in my finances throughout my college years. I have always had a desire to see God provided and it never ceases to amazes me when He does. Prior to starting deputation we saw the Lord take care of us. Of course I made many bad decision that would end up putting us in debt and I wasn’t always the best steward of my finances, but the Lord was teaching me and proving Himself. Here are three quick examples of how I tried to live by faith in my finances:
When I was in college in Ohio, I ask God to provide my school bill so I could be involved more in the ministry and my studies. He provided the whole bill the day before school started.
While I was training at our home church in Georgia, I got a delivery job because I knew the job was “tip” based and I wanted to live by faith that God would give me just enough tips to take care of me. He did!
Lastly, I had a great idea for starting a business when I lived in Alpharetta and working at the church. I worked out the whole plan on paper and everything was set to go and I even had two businesses involved. It was going to be called “Small Business Marketers.” But as I looked at what it was going to take for me to get the business going and make the money that I wanted, I realized that my time in the ministry would be extremely limited, and at the point I chose not to pursue the business idea and continue to trust the Lord to provide through my current jobs, putting my training and ministry goals first.
Next Post: Sufficiently and Extravagantly Financial (3 of 5) – “Giving”
06.15.11
Sufficiently and Extravagantly Financial (2 of 5)
Debt Free & The Lord Provides!
As the Lord was blessing month after month, we knew that we had to be good stewards of our finances. We we already in the process of learning how to control our money and working on getting out of debt. Finally, by November 2009 we were able to be debt free (read our debt free post and some interesting quotes by Hudson Taylor on debt)! We have been able to stay debt free ever since and we will do our best to stay debt free.
As we were approaching the time limit that we set for our deputation, we picked a date by faith to leave for China, hoping that the Lord would provide all of our support by then. Given the past track record, we weren’t too worried!
As we left for China on August 10, 2010 we were nearing full support and trusted the Lord would take care of the rest. The months following we continued to see new supporters, even until now we are adding new supporters. Not only did the Lord provided all of our support but blessed above and beyond.
In January of this year, I received our support report and I was literally in shock. I didn’t know what to say or do, I was speechless. Not only did the Lord meet our basic needs but it was just like He keeps allowing our cup to overflow. My eyes started to water as I thought of how unworthy we are and why God chose to bless us so abundantly. It was a very humbling moment for me. It’s hard for me to put in words.
Next Post: Sufficiently and Extravagantly Financial (3 of 5) – “Live by Faith in My Finances”
06.14.11
Sufficiently and Extravagantly Financial (1 of 5)
A Drastic Change
Since we started out as full-time missionaries our finances have changed drastically. In the summer of 2008 we started part-time deputation while we were still working jobs and at the church. I started putting together our materials, calling pastors, and we went to some meetings, as long as they didn’t interfere with our home church services since we were still working there. We saw the Lord bless during those months and provide for us more than I expected. Is was exciting to see people get behind the vision.
Then as we quite our jobs and started full-time deputation in January 2009 we only had $550 of monthly support coming in. Our calendar was full for the month of January and we would be in several churches but we didn’t know what to expect. We had a lot of traveling to do, no money saved, a small income, and no guarantee of how we would pay our bills by the end of the month. We knew as we went out that churches would probably gives us a love offering for coming by and presenting the ministry, but when booking the meetings we didn’t require, demand, or ask for one, nor would we know if they would give us one or not. It was stepping out by faith not having a guarantee of an income but by the end of the month is was very evident that God was going to take care of our family. Churches and people gave generously and new supporters were added.
We knew we were stepping out in faith to “live of the Gospel.” This means that we were giving our lives to minister the Gospel and we would also partake of it. We have never charged to preach a meeting, but went about preaching and encouraging the churches of God, sharing our vision for China and giving them the opportunity to join in on the mission that fruit may abound to their account.
As the months went on by, the Lord took care of all our needs and blessed greatly.
Next Post: Sufficiently and Extravagantly Financial (2 of 5) – “Debt Free & The Lord Provides!”
04.26.11
Undercover or Under-the-Covers (4 of 5)
The Problem With Being Undercover: Supporting Missionaries.
Missionaries (including myself) need to be held accountable. Would you want to support a missionaries who doesn’t do missions? Of course not, so everyone who supports missions must think about what they consider “worthy of support.”
Missionaries that are undercover sometimes end up not doing basic ministry things. Read the short list below and ask yourself, would you support a missionary who: (for the missionary ask “would I support myself who…” and for a supporter ask “would I support a missionary who…”)
- Is not allowed to start churches. They can have small bible studies but make it evident that they are not a church.
- Is not doing church planting and/or their ministry plans are not connected to a local church or church planting effort.
- Can only witness to those they built relationships with and are deemed “safe.”
- Is not aloud to attend “underground” churches and therefore don’t know the condition of the churches, their doctrinal stance, and/or denomination but are encouraged to send their converts there. (Would you support a baptist missionary to build Charismatic churches? Would you work at converting one and then turning him over to wolves in sheep’s clothing?)
The list is short but you get the drift. Is someone worthy of your support and would I be worthy of taking someone’s support if I didn’t go to church, help plant a church, or boldly proclaim the Gospel?
(Note: These are just thoughts based on the topic of those working in creative access countries, not a complete list to consider for support, just things to make note of.)
Next Post: The Problem With Being Undercover: National Workers.
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Setup Fund Update
Items Still Needed:
- Three Airplane Tickets: $4,200 – Around $1,400 total per person.
- Rent for a Year: $6,000 – Our rent for the entire year has to be paid up front.
- Customs: $2,000 – Miscellaneous custom expense.
- Shipping Expense: $1,000 Still Needed
- Stove: $1,100
- Vehicle: $3,000 Still Needed
Feel free to give for these specifically or just a general gift of any amount. Send all gifts to Vision Baptist Missions, P.O. Box 442, Alpharetta, GA 30009 with “Tolson Setup Fund” as the subject. Also, please note if you are giving for a specific expense.
Items Provided Already:
- Vehicle: Received $2,000 so far.
- Hotel Cost: Provided Already!
- Basic Furniture: Provided Already!
- Visas: Provided Already
- Dryer: Provided Already!
- Shipping Expense: Received $500 so far.
- Refrigerator: Provided Already!
- Washer: Provided Already!
Click Here for more information | Give Online | Print Setup Fund F.A.Q.
12.21.09
J. Hudson Taylor on Debt
Taken from The Autobiography of A Missionary by J. Hudson Taylor (Kindle Edition):
“Personally I had always avoided debt, and kept within my salary, though at times only by very careful economy.” (Highlight Loc. 1462-63)
“To me it seemed that the teaching of GOD’S Word was unmistakably clear: “Owe no man any thing.” To borrow money implied, to my mind, a contradiction of Scripture–a confession that GOD had withheld some good thing, and a determination to get for ourselves what He had not given. Could that which was wrong for one Christian to do be right for an association of Christians? Or could any amount of precedents make a wrong course justifiable? If the Word taught me anything, it taught me to have no connection with debt. I could not think that GOD was poor, that He was short of resources, or unwilling to supply any want of whatever work was really His. It seemed to me that if there were lack of funds to carry on work, then to that degree, in that special development, or at that time, it could not be the work of GOD.” (Highlight Loc. 1466-72)
“Duly qualified candidates for missionary labour are accepted without restriction as to denomination, provided they are sound in the faith in all fundamental truths: these go out in dependence upon GOD for temporal supplies, with the clear understanding that the officers of the Mission do not guarantee any income whatever; and knowing that as they will not go into debt, they can only minister to them as the funds sent in from time to time will allow.” (Highlight Loc. 1878-81)
We’re Debt Free!
Here is my Dave Ramsey debt free scream: “Wee’rreee Deeeeeeebbt Freeeeeeee!!!!” Since we have been married we have been paying off our debt and we were able to see that come to fruition last month….hopefully, never to go back!
Why debt free you say? Glad you asked! The Bible has a lot to say on money and to be the best stewards of God’s money, we are trying to follow God’s principles and follow what His word says! Here are two principles out of the tons of verses on money in the Bible.
Live Debt Free!
We are not to be in debt to anyone…
Romans 13:8 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”
…if we are in debt, we are in bondage as servants…
Proberbs 22:7 “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”
…and yet we can only serve one master…the Lord Jesus Christ!
Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
Be a Saver!
We are to prepare in the good times for the bad times…
Proverbs 6:6-8 “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”
…not spend everything we have…
Proverbs 21:20 “There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.”
…and we will have plenty!
Proverbs 21:5 “The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.”
There are tons more principles that I would love to go into but won’t in this post.
Benefits: Being debt free will allow us to save money, not hinder us by being in financial bondage, and we can to give like we want to!
How we got started: One thing that has helped us to get on track is we started listening to Dave Ramsey’s podcast and read his book “The Total Money Makeover.” We started following the baby steps and advice he mentions in the book and now we are on baby step three! (Read the book to find out what that means!)
| Posted in Amazing Journey, Finances | 2 Comments »