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A SELECTED
"NORTHERN LIGHTS" MAGAZINE ARTICLE
(from Issue #496)
A Special Partnership
It's
more than about financial support! Our missionaries tell about those who have become their encouragement and prayer support in life and
ministry:
"One supporter
taught my husband at Sunday school and was a second Dad to me, as I
tailed after him around the farm some 45 years ago. We believe that
it was the prayers of this couple that brought us to faith in
Christ. They have been our supporters since we joined ... 24 years
ago."
"A book could be
written of the wonderful provisions of the Lord through the years.
One that comes to mind is that, at a very critical time when our
daughter needed to go south for high school and Bible school, a dear
Christian woman sent us $4000 (a considerable sum in the 1960s). She
explained that she had this in a bank account and the Lord told her
that she should give it away, and she obeyed!"
"Our first Christmas [on the
field] our support was very low. [We had bought] very small gifts
for our four children, but there was no money for the stockings
[which] we always had back [home]. We told the children. Christmas
Eve we got a phone call that something had been sent. In this box
was a note from a woman we had met once. It said, 'I'm sending
these things for your Christmas stockings.' There was a gift for
each of us and candy besides. How God supplied, and I cried."
"Financial and
prayer supporters have been a special blessing. [I had] the
responsibility for housing our missionaries in the Arctic. Several
of our supporting friends, who were either professional tradesmen or
talented handymen, came together [for] four major building projects.
They lived in tents and other less-than-comfortable accommodations.
Every time I visit with these men they comment on the spiritual
impact of those times. I'm sure their commitment was a very
positive testimony to our Inuit friends who watched their lives and
had opportunity to share with them."
"We went to the
field with very little promised support. We never had full support
during our years on the field, but God always supplied our needs. We
did not do much traveling to make our needs known, but we prayed and
trusted God. We had loved ones who stood with us and prayed, and
there was one couple who was especially faithful in helping us. We
had never met them before we went to the field, but they were an
answer to our prayers."
"One of our faithful supporters
lived all alone in a tiny cabin. Regularly until death came, the
monthly letters arrived with $2 or $5 enclosed, a few postage
stamps, and always in shaky handwriting, a cheery: 'God bless you.
I am praying for you.' Another of our supporters, as she lay dying
at the age of 93 ... struggled to sit up and signed her monthly
support cheque and sent it off to NCEM!"
"One time, when our
support had gone very low, we had prayed much about it and felt we
should let our supporters know. We wrote something to the effect
that if our support did not come up, we would have to leave the
Mission. One of our supporters called us most upset. He said that
there was no way this should happen. He took our request to his
church's men's group. From that we got several new supporters
from the church group."
"Over my years I've
had all kinds of donations -- many that have made me feel thankful,
blessed, overwhelmed, unworthy. Some have even made me feel guilty.
But never until recently have we had a donation that made me laugh.
[It] came with a note from a retired supporter saying he had decided
to share his 'Ralph Bucks' with us (you know, when Alberta
premier Ralph Klein shared the province's wealth)!"
"Concerning prayer
support, as [we] flew along Great Slave Lake, we suddenly found
ourselves lost in a white-out. We nearly flew the plane into the
ground, but were able at the last second to pull it up. Some days
later we received a letter from a prayer helper who said that
recently she'd been moved to pray for us. Not knowing our specific
needs at the time, she was led to pray for safety in flying!"
(from an Office missionary) "The
letter was in shaky handwriting and the amount inclosed was $2. The
writer apologized for not being able to give more. It was a gift for
the Minute-Man project. Somehow those $2 reminded me of the widow's
mite. She had given out of her deep love for the Lord."
"When our boys were
little, we were given a 'banana' bike. It had a long narrow
yellow seat with a tall curved bar at the back, and our boys loved
it. Our boys grew older, but even when we moved two times, the
banana bike came with us. Village boys also loved our banana bike
(and even asked for it to be given to them!). Our boys didn't mind
sharing it, but they didn't want to say good-bye to it. This past
year our 19 year-old son has been working, and riding his 21-speed
bike all winter to save extra money to serve overseas. But something
happened to it, and what did he do? Got out the faithful banana
bike! God bless that lady for giving our boys that 'banana'
bike!"
"Many of my
supporters encourage me by telling me that they pray daily for me,
writing me a letter, supporting me faithfully financially, showing
me that they are interested in my ministry by asking specific
questions."
"One day my husband came home
from the Post Office with 4 or 5 apple boxes. The return address was
from people we had never met. We opened each box and found various
items of clothing with some canned goods and treats tucked among
them. How exciting! It felt like Christmas! We were instructed to
take whatever clothes we needed for our family, and pass on the rest
to others in the community. How exciting to receive blessings and
treats from people we have never seen!"
"I am very thankful
to God for godly parents who have supported us with prayer each day
and with finances each month since we joined NCEM. I wonder how many
other missionaries around the world could say the same thing? The
love, care, advise, and encouragement of our parents are a treasure
to us."
"Through the years
we have had Christian nurses, teachers, business people, a resource
officer and their families living with us in the Native communities.
We still correspond with some who we first met over 20 years ago. We
value their friendship, and appreciate having their positive
testimony for Christ in the village."
"At different times
we have traveled and shared with people about the ministry that God
has given us. As mothers we know the effort it takes to take in a
family with several children and provide them with meals and a
comfortable place to sleep. We are so grateful for those who
welcomed us into their homes, and cheerfully fed us and gave us a
place to rest."
"We were living on a fly-in
reserve. We flew out two times a year to attend (staff) conferences,
and that is when we did our grocery shopping for the year. Prices
were high on the reserve, so we tried to buy as little as possible
there, mainly eggs. Our garden was very poor at first, but with some
work it gradually improved. One time, when we were out, a sweet lady
gave us quart jars of jam. It was real jam -- with big, whole, red
strawberries in it ... the best jam we ever tasted! We felt like
kings (and she did it more than one year!)."
"I was talking with
a supporter who was a fellow Bible college student and thanking them
for their faithful support over the years. He said he'd had a
conversation with my dad, and my dad had mentioned that we'd had a
month with no donations. He told me he was going to make sure that
would never happen again if it was within his power!"
"When we were
stationed [further north] we started receiving letters from a dear
lady who began to pray for us. She wrote every month and included in
her letter ... how her tulips were in bloom (while we still had
three feet of snow!), about her family, responses to our prayer
requests, a devotional clipped from a booklet, a handwritten poem,
and a birthday card. She had started writing us when she found out
through the Northern Lights Prayer Directory how far north we lived.
Her letters were always anticipated. Three years ago we took a trip
to Ontario and made a point to visit her for the first time. She is
just as wonderful as her letters portrayed her to be!"
"A farmer has been selling us
beef at a good price and we, in turn, have sold some of it to the
people in our community. The people here are concerned about getting
high quality meat and they enjoy the good beef from this farmer. He
even gave us a beef one time (at no cost). These are God's
blessings to us and our community from a farmer friend."
"One evening we
found a cigarette butt in our truck camper, which we were using to
transport teens for our youth ministry. That made us realize that we
needed a van. We prayed about it and asked interested people to also
pray for this need. Family members donated $500, and our truck and
camper sold for $900. We were trusting God to supply the money still
needed. Then a letter came with a blank cheque! The supporters
wrote, 'We were saving money to build a new house, but the Lord
has spoken to us that we should help you buy the van that you need.'
For about two weeks we prayed about what amount we should write on
the cheque. We didn't want to abuse this offer, so we called to
ask them what amount we should take. Soon we purchased a van,
needing only a small loan."
"Like a rainbow
spreading across the sky, one lady sends us letters, special letters
for the kids, stickers for the girls, newspaper clippings, and
treats at Valentines. She's given us games for our children's
ministry. She has phoned and asked how we were and how our work was
going, and I have shared what we were going through. It feels so
special to have someone who cares, and takes time to listen."
"In past years we
have helped distribute Salvation Army Christmas hampers sent in for
the community. There were a lot of things coming in on the planes
for us to give to others, but one time an anonymous shipment came in
labeled 'For the Missionaries.' It included a case of milk, a
big block of cheese, a huge ham and a case of orange juice. My heart
leaped -- was this actually for us? We had to do some 'detective
work' to find out who sent it and whether it really was for us.
Well it was! When we thanked the donor, he said, 'How'd you find
out?' He told us that he and some friends had decided to 'bless
us.' And they really did. Our kids were coming home for Christmas.
They grew up on powdered milk, so fresh milk was such a treat for
them."
"For 35 years a
husband and wife gave regular financial support to us, as well as
prayed for us daily. I know they had others they also gave and
prayed for."
"This past winter,
when my mom died, the 'gift in lieu of flowers' went toward our
support. The people overwhelmed us by their love and generosity.
Another thing we marvel at is the faithfulness of our supporters. We've
been up north now for almost 20 years and these kind folks and
churches have stayed with us all the way. Their generosity has made
sure that we have never had a short month. We realize that it is God
who is ultimately responsible for all of this."
"The first year we
came out our insurance was due and we had no money to pay it. We got
a cheque from supporters in Ontario who didn't know anything about
our crisis. It was almost the exact amount that was needed, maybe a
couple dollars more."
"We have supporters who always
amaze us. They will speak of an instance or situation that we made
reference to long before (which we assumed was long forgotten to our
supporters). It is these comments which we treasure, knowing that
our supporters are so faithful in prayer as they bring us and our
needs before God."
"About 8 months
after I joined NCEM, I was struggling financially. I remember
praying, asking God to meet my financial needs, even in a 'unique'
way, if it was His will. A few days later some money came to the
Mission office for me. It was a one time gift, from the estate of a
lady who had passed away about a year before. I knew this elderly
lady had prayed regularly for me, but she had never sent finances.
God used this experience to deepen my faith in Him and trust Him in
whatever He asked of me."
"My husband
attended a church in Seattle when he was in college there. This
church eventually joined with another, and supported us with some
financial help until our retirement in the 1990s. They have kept us
informed with their monthly church bulletin to this present time -- never failing for more than 50 years! What faithfulness!"
"Last fall a
supporter, a friend of my husband's from high school, let us know
that he had a real burden to pray for us for an entire month. Though
the supporter didn't know it, it was the exact month when my
husband was struggling with special health needs."
"Upon joining the Mission and
seeking to raise our support, we learned early that ultimately it is
God who we must look to, not people. It seemed like some of the ones
who said, 'I'll help you,' forgot to do so, but then we
received support from the least expected places ... like Asia!"
"We remember
visiting a certain church to tell about our ministry. Later,
visiting with one of the couples, we heard how they were very
involved with immigrants and, in fact, knew much more about
cross-cultural ministry than we did! It was humbling, but a great
encouragement to know that there are people in local churches who
are also reaching out beyond their comfort zone."
"Years back our car
was 'finished' after a trip to northern Manitoba. We found an
envelope on the table at home with a note from our Mission Office
that said: 'We could not deposit a cheque because it is unclear if
the amount is for $500 or for $5.00. We had to return the cheque to
the sender.' The donor sent another cheque, saying they better 'make
it right' ... a thousand dollars! It helped us buy another car. We
never received money from them again, but it was God's provision
for the need at hand."
"We especially
appreciate it when supporters visit us on the field. They gain a new
perspective on how valuable their partnership is to our ministry, as
well as what we are challenged with."
"I came across something one of
our daughters had written about our first Christmas in an isolated
village. She wrote that she was not expecting very much under the
tree because she knew her parents had not been able to get 'out'
to shop -- the airfare costs were just too high. So she was
especially thrilled that a supporting church had sent a box just
before Christmas (which her parents had been able to hide!). Some of
the things were new and some were used, but she remembers that as
one of her best Christmas Day experiences -- because God blessed in
such an unexpected way."
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