This past year has been a year full of fundraising for David and I. I wish I could say that I love fundraising. I wish I could say that I have always trusted the Lord to provide the people we need to join our team. I wish I could say I have maintained a great attitude. I wish I could say a lot of things about fundraising. I also wish I could say that we are done fundraising but in reality the life we have been called to requires us to fundraise. We are convinced this is a lifetime commitment to overseas peace work which also means a lifetime of fundraising. I wish I could say a lot of things about fundraising but I can tell you the five biggest lessons I have only begun learning in the past year about fundraising.
- Fundraising takes faith. When David and I started this journey we knew that we were called to a life overseas and that would mean we would have to raise the salary required to live on. We faithfully committed to 5 years overseas and sometimes that feels like the easy part. We knew we were meant to go bring the gospel to people who have never had the chance to hear it. After committing to this time overseas we began building a support team. Every time we walk into a meeting, or email a supporter, or call someone on the phone we are doing so by faith that they will hear what the Lord is calling us to. Every time someone says no we have to faithfully trust that the Lord has a plan. I would love to say that both David and I never struggle with this but there are days filled with tears not knowing where to turn next. We are learning to always have faith in this process but we are far from perfect.
- Fundraising is about building a team. We took a class while in training about how we are not just fundraising , but building a team of people who back us and support us. This is also a team we pray for and love. We have loved growing our team as we have moved through this process. We have the opportunity to feel that connection with so many people and we have the opportunity to pray for everyone of our supporters. We feel so loved by everyone of our support team.
- Fundraising can be fun. This one I am still learning to embrace. It is not always fun and for a lot of people (me) it’s usually not fun. We have had some great nights around dinner tables, and in living rooms, or sweet phone calls that have been filled with us sharing what God is calling us to that have made this process fun. I am so thankful for the people that have changed my heart even a little and made this fundraising process fun!
- Fundraising is hard. Oh this one I know well! I hope someday this is not how I feel about fundraising but for now it’s hard. It’s hard to sit in front of someone and feel like I’m selling myself in order for them to want to join my team. It’s hard for me to say I don’t know exactly what the work we will be doing looks like when we get there. It’s so hard that I have no stories to tell from the incredible people I will get to work with because I have not even been there. I have to ask for people the have faith in my faith that I am meant to do this and that in two years when I come back to visit you will have the chance to see and hear about the things God is doing in Nepal. Maybe fundraising will get easier but for now not so much.
- Fundraising brings you so much trust in the Lord. We have had so many times where we were convinced we were going to get a big donor. We get our minds wrapped around a number that is going to come in with one donor. It usually ends up being a lot smaller then we expect but then the next day the Lord provides a few smaller donors that exceed what we had come up with in our mind. It’s like God is saying my plan is better trust that I have this. Don’t wish on huge lottery winnings (some days we do) but trust that I the Lord am the one who will build you a team that loves you and supports what you are doing. Trust that I the Lord am the one that lays it on the hearts of your supporters to join your team not just as financial supporters but as a team praying for you and encouraging you to succeed in the call I placed on you!
David and I are still in the process of fundraising so we have so many lessons left to learn. We will be fundraising for a long time as our family grows and the ministry we build grows. We know that the lessons we have learned will be relearned and will relearned again and that we will learn so many more things from fundraising alone.
We want to thank anyone that has already joined our team as a monthly supporter or as a prayer warrior. We are blessed with an incredible team already built but we are still looking for more monthly supporters. If you feel led to join our team or would like any more information please email us at [email protected] . We would love to hear from you and answer any of your questions!
We hope you are all doing well! Love, Jenna
