The reason for this article is this:  With all of my passion and purpose it is so difficult to raise financial support in the community I was raised in, the African-American church community.  I called Mr. Jim Sutherland out of frustration.  I’ve since come back from China believing that my assignment in China was finished but also being aware of the need for missions in other countries in the world.  My heart?  Is for the Muslim nations.  So of course I am drawn to the mission organizations that have the same heart.  It’s been my experience that every organization that I have run across wants all missionaries to raise their own support. ..I completely understand that as being a necessity.  Therein lies my dilemma!  It seems to be impossible to raise support in the African-American church and community.  It can be so discouraging…

I have sent out support letters to churches, business owners that are a part of those churches, friends who don’t go to those churches be they are believers, family, etc.  I was in China for two years but all I received was promises with no weight in them.  The only financial support I had was from my mother.  She is in school full-time and my father is blind.  So no one in my parents’ household is working.  Well as times have gotten harder here in the states my mother has had to stop supporting me financially.  My mother is the only one who would send me a box of things I could only get in the states.  There were ministry groups that hounded me about making a list of things I needed for the year…I made the list but never got a box.  It was so difficult to see my Caucasian co-workers get two and three boxes in one week.

Ya know, one of the most difficult things for me to settle with is that in the African-American church, predominantly, generations of young people are being raised unexposed to the mission field.  It has only been thru the revelation and illumination of the Spirit of God that I have such a heart for missions.  I was not exposed to the subject growing up as a child as a preachers kid.  Statistically, missions are not celebrated among this particular people group.  So all of the fund raising ideas that are so strongly suggested, don’t work, at least that has been my experience.  I knew that before leaving to go to China but I thought, “Maybe when I go back to the states, show them, and share with them what God has done not only in the lives of those I was assigned too, but how my own life has been changed, maybe then they will support.”  That hasn’t been the case so far.  I even went to four church’s leadership and offered my testimony.  In my experience the everyday, corner, neighborhood, African-American church is just not interested.

In the meantime, I don’t know where to turn but at the same time I don’t know how to take no for an answer.  You mean to tell me that because I don’t have something as small as money I can’t do what I was born to do?!!?!?  LUDICROUS!  My heart is to see my own community be more actively involved in missions rather than seeing themselves AS the mission.  I’ve been encouraged to leave and go where missions is largely supported.  But then that doesn’t solve the problem at large.  I don’t want to leave the community I was raised in, MY HEART IS TO SEE US ALL DOING WHAT WE WERE COMMISIONED BY JESUS CHRIST TO DO!  GO!

HELP!  I am MISSION READY but I can’t get up…LOL!

Feel free to contact me by email if you have any solutions, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .