8 Reasons Why I'm Grateful for Support Raising

I've recently become aware that not all mission agencies require their missionaries to raise their own support to get onto the field. Initially, that sounded like an amazing idea to me! I think of how much less time it would take to get to the field if there wasn't this huge hurdle to jump over. But this morning, in the midst of a discouraging few months of support raising, I became overwhelmed with gratitude. While support raising can be time-consuming, discouraging, humbling, and painful, I believe it's absolutely necessary to prepare for life on the mission field. I have 8 reasons to support this:

8. Patience: Oh the dreaded virtue of patience. When we ask God for it, He always delivers! This support-raising process is usually not quick, but it reminds us that not much in life IS quick. This helps prepare us for scenarios most every missionary will face on the field that require lots and lots of patience.

7. Dealing with (perceived) rejection: We spend hours in preparation and prayer for our meetings with potential ministry partners and oftentimes the people we meet with do not jump on board with us. It's easy to take it personally, even though 9 times out of 10 it isn't. Through this we learn that it is NOT our responsibility to convince people to support our ministry... it is just our responsibility to ask and let God take care of the rest.

6. Allows us to build new relationships and strengthen existing ones: Our ministry partner team is ideally a tight-knit group with a common purpose. It is so wonderful to have a group of people who genuinely care and are praying for us and the ministries we are a part of.

5. Cultivates our own prayer life and dependence on God: There have been countless times where I've found myself on my face, begging for God's provision to get onto the field. The truth is, we cannot do support raising or ministry or breathing apart from God.

4. Cultivates our love and passion for the country and ministry we will be a part of: While I'm on my face praying for provision, I am also praying for revival among the people I'll be working with. I personally have had limited experience working directly among the people I'll be doing ministry with, but through prayer and support raising, God has given me an intense love for them that is preparing me for the future. In every meeting we have with people to ask for partnership, we are creating awareness of the needs in this world and are becoming even more passionate and invested in being a part of it, ourselves!

3. Shows us our weaknesses so that we can address them before leaving for the field: I have described this season of support raising as being the most refining and humbling time of my life. Not only is it humbling to ask people for their prayer and financial support, but in doing so, our deepest weaknesses and sin struggles tend to be revealed throughout the process. This is something to rejoice about because it allows us to be aware of our weaknesses and allow God to shine through them with His strength (2 Corinthians 12:9,10).

2. Gives people the opportunity to invest in something bigger than themselves: Though not everyone will be able/willing to give and be a part of the ministry we are going to, it is amazing and incredibly important to give them the chance to do so. 

1. Helps confirm in our heart that God is Sovereign and His timing is perfect: If it were in our own hands, we would likely skip the support raising and head directly onto the field. But we can rest in knowing that He truly knows what is best (Isaiah 55:8,9).