Frequently Asked Questions
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Here are some of the questions people have been asking as well as some questions which
people may be afraid to ask. You can make this page more helpful by e-mailing us any of your
questions that aren't covered here. Thanks!
When are you going?
That has been the question for the last three years! SEND International firmly believes that
when God wants any missionary to leave for the field, they will be at 100% support. We can not
leave until that happens. Our progress can be tracked on the Ministry Home page or the Join
Our Team page. We are believing in faith that we will leave by July 1, 2011!
What are you doing before you leave?
The short answer is: raise our support and present God’s work in Alaska. The longer answer is:
working to find new people who want to hear about God’s work through SEND International in
Alaska. That is: calling churches / praying / talking to Pastors / praying / finding people to host
presentations in their homes / praying and fasting / writing newsletters / fasting and praying /
giving presentations / praying some more / creating and updating this web site / pray, pray, pray
/ working at the Post Office, Busse and Rieck, and Taco John's to pay the bills until we have
enough support to be funded by SEND / and in case we haven’t done enough of it yet….pray! All
of this while raising two boys and maintaining our marriage.
It ultimately is about building a network of like-minded people to advance the Kingdom of God!
This is best done when people we know assist us by introducing us to other like-minded
people. We can’t do any of this alone. It is God working through all of us! We really do consider
our prayer and financial partners a part of our team. We try to connect with each person
according to their comfort level.
How does a Faith Promise work?
This is our term for a pledge. We call it Faith Promise because that's what it is- making a
promise based on faith in God’s provision. Let’s face it, we don’t know what will happen
tomorrow, let alone five years from now. However, God clearly says in his Word (2 Corinthians
9) that when anyone starts giving to His Kingdom, He will provide for their needs and also
provide more resources for them to give away.
So, a Faith Promise is when one fills out a form to give a set amount on a regular basis. For
example: $50 a month, $150 a quarter, $600 a year, etc… A Faith Promise lasts a minimum of
one term of service (four years on field and through our home-service [furlough] which is five
years in total). When we talk about our need, we break it down into monthly terms, but it can be
given at different times. When we have enough partners promising to give that will cover our
needs, then we can leave for the field.
What if something happens and I can’t fulfill my Faith Promise?
Our first word of advice is to really pray about that. God is able to provide what you need and to
provide “seed for sowing” (Paul’s term for financial gifts in 2 Corinthians 9:10-11). If one can’t
give for a month or so, that is okay. Really…no guilt trip!! Give when you can. If you can make
up your lost months, that would be good. However, if you can’t, don’t let it hang over your head.
Just pick up again when you are able. If you need to cancel your pledge because you can’t give
anymore, we understand. God has an amazing ability to provide for our needs! If you find
yourself in these kinds of situations please communicate that to us. First, we will pray for you!
Second, we have to keep track of our Faith Promise donations and communication makes that
much easier.
Why do you have to raise so much money?
Right now we have to raise about $7,500 a month. No one is getting rich from this. SEND
International reports to the ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability). The reality is
that this amount is a modest estimate of what is needed to get the job done. It includes much
more then just our paycheck. Explaining this kind of thing is best left to the experts …so here is
a link to SEND’s brochure that explains all. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to
ask! We can always find the answer if we don’t know it.
Should I wait to give until you are on the field?
You can if that is what you feel God has lead you to do. However, if you begin giving monthly,
those funds will go into our Outgoing Account, possibly getting us to the field sooner. Our
Financial Requirements have been calculated with a departure date of July 2011. If we get there
sooner, we may not need to raise as much money in the long run!
What is the pool system?
No, it is not what missionaries use to cool off. This is how SEND International provides stability
to missionaries’ pay checks and on-field accounts. Each region of SEND has it's own financial
pool that holds the money for paychecks, projects, work expense, etc. Each missionary gets
paid the same amount according to the local cost of living and the size of their family (even the
Director of the mission). So how does this affect us? It is a known fact that giving to missions
is sporadic. This financial set up allows us not to worry about money because all the
missionaries in Alaska are standing together with us. However, if our support gets too low, it
will deplete the resources that everyone relies upon. This is why we track the giving of our faith
promise supporters. Also, if several missionaries from Alaska were under supported for too
long, everyone in Alaska may have to take a pay cut. No one wants that, so we work to get our
support on target.
How do we sign up to support you?
There are a couple of ways:
Any more questions?
Feel free to Contact Us any time! If we don't have the answer we will get it!
people may be afraid to ask. You can make this page more helpful by e-mailing us any of your
questions that aren't covered here. Thanks!
When are you going?
That has been the question for the last three years! SEND International firmly believes that
when God wants any missionary to leave for the field, they will be at 100% support. We can not
leave until that happens. Our progress can be tracked on the Ministry Home page or the Join
Our Team page. We are believing in faith that we will leave by July 1, 2011!
What are you doing before you leave?
The short answer is: raise our support and present God’s work in Alaska. The longer answer is:
working to find new people who want to hear about God’s work through SEND International in
Alaska. That is: calling churches / praying / talking to Pastors / praying / finding people to host
presentations in their homes / praying and fasting / writing newsletters / fasting and praying /
giving presentations / praying some more / creating and updating this web site / pray, pray, pray
/ working at the Post Office, Busse and Rieck, and Taco John's to pay the bills until we have
enough support to be funded by SEND / and in case we haven’t done enough of it yet….pray! All
of this while raising two boys and maintaining our marriage.
It ultimately is about building a network of like-minded people to advance the Kingdom of God!
This is best done when people we know assist us by introducing us to other like-minded
people. We can’t do any of this alone. It is God working through all of us! We really do consider
our prayer and financial partners a part of our team. We try to connect with each person
according to their comfort level.
How does a Faith Promise work?
This is our term for a pledge. We call it Faith Promise because that's what it is- making a
promise based on faith in God’s provision. Let’s face it, we don’t know what will happen
tomorrow, let alone five years from now. However, God clearly says in his Word (2 Corinthians
9) that when anyone starts giving to His Kingdom, He will provide for their needs and also
provide more resources for them to give away.
So, a Faith Promise is when one fills out a form to give a set amount on a regular basis. For
example: $50 a month, $150 a quarter, $600 a year, etc… A Faith Promise lasts a minimum of
one term of service (four years on field and through our home-service [furlough] which is five
years in total). When we talk about our need, we break it down into monthly terms, but it can be
given at different times. When we have enough partners promising to give that will cover our
needs, then we can leave for the field.
What if something happens and I can’t fulfill my Faith Promise?
Our first word of advice is to really pray about that. God is able to provide what you need and to
provide “seed for sowing” (Paul’s term for financial gifts in 2 Corinthians 9:10-11). If one can’t
give for a month or so, that is okay. Really…no guilt trip!! Give when you can. If you can make
up your lost months, that would be good. However, if you can’t, don’t let it hang over your head.
Just pick up again when you are able. If you need to cancel your pledge because you can’t give
anymore, we understand. God has an amazing ability to provide for our needs! If you find
yourself in these kinds of situations please communicate that to us. First, we will pray for you!
Second, we have to keep track of our Faith Promise donations and communication makes that
much easier.
Why do you have to raise so much money?
Right now we have to raise about $7,500 a month. No one is getting rich from this. SEND
International reports to the ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability). The reality is
that this amount is a modest estimate of what is needed to get the job done. It includes much
more then just our paycheck. Explaining this kind of thing is best left to the experts …so here is
a link to SEND’s brochure that explains all. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to
ask! We can always find the answer if we don’t know it.
Should I wait to give until you are on the field?
You can if that is what you feel God has lead you to do. However, if you begin giving monthly,
those funds will go into our Outgoing Account, possibly getting us to the field sooner. Our
Financial Requirements have been calculated with a departure date of July 2011. If we get there
sooner, we may not need to raise as much money in the long run!
What is the pool system?
No, it is not what missionaries use to cool off. This is how SEND International provides stability
to missionaries’ pay checks and on-field accounts. Each region of SEND has it's own financial
pool that holds the money for paychecks, projects, work expense, etc. Each missionary gets
paid the same amount according to the local cost of living and the size of their family (even the
Director of the mission). So how does this affect us? It is a known fact that giving to missions
is sporadic. This financial set up allows us not to worry about money because all the
missionaries in Alaska are standing together with us. However, if our support gets too low, it
will deplete the resources that everyone relies upon. This is why we track the giving of our faith
promise supporters. Also, if several missionaries from Alaska were under supported for too
long, everyone in Alaska may have to take a pay cut. No one wants that, so we work to get our
support on target.
How do we sign up to support you?
There are a couple of ways:
- Go to the Join Our Team page and fill out the form
- Contributions can be made by credit or debit card on our page of the SEND website.
Click here and then select "Give To This Missionary Now" on the upper right. - Sign up by printing the Faith Promise form. Fill it out and mail it in. You may donate by
check or enroll in the SEND Direct program to have your contributions automatically
withdrawn from your account (this is the easiest and most cost effective option; we have
done this ourselves for the missionaries we have supported).
Any more questions?
Feel free to Contact Us any time! If we don't have the answer we will get it!
