As mentioned in previous blogs, we are in need of a lot of financial support for our journey to Honduras. Our goal is to raise enough to sustain us for a year and continue to fundraise from there to see where God takes us next. We may stay in Honduras or God may lead us elsewhere. Rest assured...we are in this for the long haul and we don't want to limit our vision to just Honduras. That is the assignment for now, and we will stay there until God says move.
Without getting too far ahead of myself, our fundraising efforts for now are focused on our first year of ministry. That goal is about $40,000. I want to take some time to be very specific with our needs. I believe when you are specific, it paints a clear picture for everyone and God can move upon people to give in very specific ways.
Habakkuk 2:2 says, "And the LORD answered me: Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it."
For me, that's a small text with BIG impact! When you make a vision known, people can then run with it! As I share our financial needs, I'm believing that God is already moving on the hearts of people who will choose to run with it! I'm actually going to share about some who have already done that for us!
But first things first.....
Here is a list of some of the one time expenses that we have to help establish ourselves:
Used Truck (preferably a 4-door smaller truck like a Toyota Tacoma) - If it were just Steven and I going, we would make use of public transportation. However, with small children, it will be MUCH safer for us to have a vehicle of our own. Having a truck will help us with some of the bigger projects we are wanting to do. This vehicle will be shipped to Honduras from Miami and will be placed in Pastor Manuel's name to avoid issues with customs. Plus, we want to be able to give this to them as a gift to have after we leave. We are not asking for anything fancy because it is important that we do not draw a lot of attention to ourselves by driving around a nice car...plus the roads are TERRIBLE! We've budgeted about $6,000-$8,000 for this, but we are praying that God will move on someone's heart to donate or sell it for a lower price. God can do ANYTHING!
Small Tractor with plow attachment - Our vision for Honduras is not to just go and help, but to help equip them with ways to be self sustainable. Pastor Manuel's vision for the church and community is to not always be dependent on American support. They want to learn things that will bring in income and provide jobs. For some random reason, Steven really got into farming this Spring/Summer. Now I see that it wasn't random at all! God was preparing him for something much greater than a backyard garden! They want to learn to grow tomatoes and watermelons to sell and bring money into the church. Sadly, they do not have access to good quality seeds or farming equipment that would help them really bring in a sustainable and profitable harvest. They have the land, so our desire is to bring in the tools. This will be a gift that will be left there as well so they can continue to plant and harvest long after we are gone. Farming will also be used as an evangelistic tool in the surrounding community. We've budgeted $2,000-$5,000 for a used tractor, but once again, we firmly believe that as we make this vision plain, there's somebody out there ready and willing to run with it to either write the check or provide the equipment!
Shipping a container - In order to get all of this to Honduras, it has to travel on a truck to Miami and then will be shipped from Miami to a port in Honduras. The cost of the container is about $2,000. We will be able to send the vehicle, small tractor, mattresses, appliances, and any large belongings we will need. We will also have to pay someone to transport everything to Miami. We have a few truck driver friends, so we are praying about who to approach about this big task.
To keep this blog from getting too long, I will leave it at that for right now. Those are the "big ticket items" that we are really praying for God to move on someone to run with. Other smaller things include our monthly living expenses (about $850/month), round-trip airfare (about $2,500), and we are wanting to designate $5,000-$10,000 that will go directly towards ministry. We want to have the financial freedom to meet needs we may come across on a daily basis. That's what that money will be set aside for. We are also still in the process of getting prices for Spanish classes. We will be attending school in Copan to go to language classes several times a week in our efforts to become fluent. So far, we are finding it to be between $150-$250 per week.
When January 2016 gets here, we are believing that God will have far exceeded our expectations! He's not the God of just a little....He's the God of MORE THAN ENOUGH! He's the God of the OVERFLOW!
Any donation we receive brings me to tears! (I've turned into quite the cry baby lately!) This month, however, we are praying specifically for God to line up those that will be willing to give on a month to month basis. A steady flow of money coming in will help sustain this ministry. Please pray about being a part of that! If you can't commit to that, no worries! God is pleased with whatever is in your means to do!
A man at church came up to me Sunday night with tears in his eyes and expressed how he wanted to give to our ministry. He handed me a bill and hugged my neck saying, "It's not much, but it's all I have. I want you and Steven to know that I believe in your ministry." Talk about EMOTIONAL!! I was a wreck! I was completely overwhelmed by his sincerity. I honestly put the money in my pocket without even paying attention to how much it was. When I got home and emptied my pockets, I held in my hand a $5 bill. Some would think, "that's it??", but I began to tear up again and thank God for those that are still so willing to give even when they know they can't give a lot. Some people hold back because they don't want to be embarrassed by their tiny amount. It made me recall the widow with the two mites. Jesus honors her giving in Mark 12:43-44:
"Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury. For they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty, put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."
Jesus. He just knew how to really put things in perspective. After taking that $5 out of my pocket, I prayed earnestly for that man and his family. I prayed that God would bless him 1,000 fold!
As if that didn't stir up enough emotion, I received a letter in the mail today from a friend of mine. We know each other on a very surface level, so when she told me she would donate, I expected maybe $100. That's what most people are giving. And do not think I turn my nose up to that at all!! I'm blown away by every red cent that comes into us! But her gift was different. As I read the letter, she began to share about how the Holy Spirit moved on her and her husband to give more. Circumstances were going to keep that from happening, BUT GOD showed up and honored their obedience by providing the amount they desired to give. The paper was wet with tears as I sat in my car ugly crying over the amazing way God ordained that donation. It wasn't just another check. This check had a story, and what a beautiful one it was! Just as before, I stopped in my tracks to pray blessings on their household.
Each passing day, God confirms this calling. After my last post, I was overwhelmed AGAIN (yes, I cried) by the number of people who private messaged me wanting to know how to give! Honestly, we've been collecting money in an oatmeal canister, so I've been really having to get my ducks in a row and establish a more credible way to collect funds!
I'm proud to say that our church has opened up a "Heart for Honduras" bank account and all checks can be made to either LIFEchurch Dacusville or Heart for Honduras. But wait...there's more! I established an online PayPal account so all of you paperless people can donate online! Just click on the link to our page and you will be directed from there. You can also download the packets to hand out from that site. Here's the link: http://www.lifechurchsc.com/#!about1/c1acn
Continue to pray for us and know that if God impresses upon you to give, obey! Even if it is $2.00! God will honor that and we will not turn our noses up at you! We hold your heart in much higher regard than your donation. We will pray blessings on you, and your two dollars, just the same as we would someone who would give thousands of dollars!
May God richly bless you all! Please take time to share this post and spread the word about our journey!
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