What Am I Sacrificing?

Today's post comes from my hubby, who shares his thoughts and perspectives on preparing to leave for Guatemala.

Eleven years ago I was working as a custodian at the University of Iowa. It was a good job, especially for someone without a college degree. Many of the  people I worked with were good people - family people, even some married couples who worked together.  But, I am old fashioned, and wanted more. I wanted a job where I had more responsibility, and I wanted to make enough that my wife wouldn't have to work if she didn't want to

In 2003 I took a job with the City of Wellman.  The main reason was to get more experience in other fields, and to find a career and be able to support my family.  I found, as soon as I started, that I liked the water and wastewater industries.  I worked hard and started pursuing professional licenses.  I got a new job with the City of North Liberty, and then with the City of Atlantic.

Through hard work, and many blessings and opportunities, I progressed rapidly.  In ten years I went from someone who had never even heard of wastewater as a career (I grew up in the country with a septic tank) to running a grade 3 plant with five employees.  I am on a state sub-committee of a national organization (IAWEA) that helps operators get training and work with state and federal government in writing rules for wastewater issues.

In less than a year I will be eligible to take the grade 4 wastewater exam. This is the highest license you can get in most of the country.  Only 7% of operators in the state  of Iowa are grade 4s.   With the higher age of grade 4 operators, and most of them getting ready to retire, the job market is going to open up for people who have supervisor experience and a grade 4 license. That means I could be running a major wastewater facility in just a few short years, and working my way up through IAWEA.  I have come to the place where I am established as a professional in my field.

More than that, I am making really good money doing something I enjoy, and my wife does not have to work outside the home. I am completely supporting my family - something I once thought would be impossible.

I am giving that all up, though, because I am called to get God's word to the people of Guatemala.  I am going, at the minimum, to have to put my career on hold for 2 years.  I have already told the subcommittee I am on that I will be resigning next spring.   I am going to be losing out on getting more managerial experience, which may be handy if I were to pursue another job in this career.  I have only been at this job for two years,  which also doesn't look great on a resume when you apply for a job.

The hardest for me is that Andrea will no longer be home with the girls. She is going to be teaching at a Christian school in Guatemala. And, even though she is excited about the opportunity to serve, I think her first choice would be to get to continue staying home.

I have also been able to support myself my whole adult life. Now we are going to have to  rely on friends and family to support us - something that is very uncomfortable for me.  I know mentally that it is not begging,or a free handout. We will be working harder than we ever have before.  But, it is still difficult to keep in my mind that these are people who are supporting us because they want to, and they share our vision.


So, what am I sacrificing to follow God's call on my life?

• a great job (doing something I love)
• being able to fully support my wife and children
• a career path that puts me on the fast track to making more money
• getting respect from peers
• setting up a great retirement 
• living in the United States (which, even with all its problems, is still the best place in the world
• being a long way from everybody I love and care about except my wife and kids

With all these negatives why I am I still going to follow through and move to Guatemala?  Because I went and saw. I got called. I know I could never be happy here knowing I am not doing what I am supposed to be doing for Jesus.  To me I do not really have a choice. Why? Here's why:

Mark 8:34-38 NKJV
[34] When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. [35] For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. [36] For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? [37] Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? [38] For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

- Mark

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Double Lives

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 http://knicknacker.com/
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Sometimes it feels like we're living double lives right now.

By day, we're the happy, successful, all-American family next door - going to work, doing our schooling, and keeping up on our favorite shows on TV. By night, we're missionaries trying hard to raise enough funds to get our boots on the ground in a poverty-stricken, dirty, second-world country.

It can be a challenge. Especially since we don't have the option of being only one or the other at a time.

The emotional realities of these two lives are very different. Here, we are allowed (even encouraged) by society to take advantage of the luxuries that are available to us as a reward for our hard work. Even with a very modest lifestyle and budget, we have access to all the food, clothing, entertainment, and comforts that anyone could ever wish for. But, we're also missionaries, preparing to live with less, and on less. We have seen the other side of the coin, and will soon have to stop catering to our mere 'wants' and be grateful to simply be able to meet our true 'needs.' We often find ourselves wondering, 'should we be starting that now?'

I also have a hard time not letting the emotions I feel from one life spill into the way I think about the other.

When I've had a frustrating or discouraging day as American homeschooling wife and mom, it's hard not to also feel frustrated or discouraged about our progress and preparation for our mission work.

Literally, I've had times when I've been bummed about burning dinner, and let that make me doubt (just for a second) the calling to missions God put on our lives.

It's silly, I know, but that's how the fiery darts of the enemy work. And, while our situation is different from most, I bet you can relate. We're all, in one way or another, leading double lives.

Father and breadwinner.
Wife and daughter.
In the world, but not of it.

That's why I'm so glad I have Jesus. He knows what I'm going through. He was both beloved, and despised. He was needed, but rejected. He was God, but He was man.

He gets it.

He knows my struggles and challenges. He rejoices with me and because of me. He will never leave me, nor forsake me... neither the happy, successful, all-American me, nor the missionary me raising funds and preparing to move to Guatemala.

And if that's not enough to make a person double happy, then nothing is.

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Poverty

This is a really hard subject for me to talk about - poverty. Which is too bad, 'cause it's kind of a big part of telling people about what we're planning on doing in Guatemala.

In one way, it's hard to talk about it to friends, family, churches, small groups, etc..., since the American understanding of poverty is a little bit, well, skewed. It's one of those things that everyone thinks they know when they see it, but can't really describe. In the U.S. we have a 'poverty line,' 'poverty guidelines,' and 'poverty thresholds' - all used in different ways, by different agencies, with different purposes. Even after reading extensively on the Health and Human Services webpage, I'm not 100% sure what any of these things really mean. In our prosperous nation, they're really just a statistical measurement of who has the least as compared to everyone else, and not necessarily a way of determining if someone truly has enough - enough to put food on the table, clothes on their backs, and a roof over their heads.

Yes. There are desperately poor people in our country who literally struggle each day to find the resources it takes to sustain their very lives. But, very few. Especially in comparison to the rest of the world. I can't find any actual figures on this subject, to be honest. When I try to find data on those living in poverty in the U.S., I come up with articles like this, which use Census Data figures to give a picture of what poverty in our country looks like.

80.9% of those living in 'poverty' here have both a land line phone, and a cell phone

96.1% have a t.v.

83% have some sort of DVR

(Seriously!? What the heck!? I just got a DVR for the first time last year!!)

It's no wonder people's eyes glaze over a little when I start telling them about the poverty in Guatemala. It's hard to understand what that means, in light of our own examples in the United States.

Maybe this will help. The World Bank uses the term 'Extreme Poverty' to describe people living on less than the equivalent of $1.25 per day. I'm going to venture a guess and say that there is something like .1% of the U.S. population that lives in such extreme poverty. Maybe.

In Guatemala, it's 13.5%.
In the Congo, it's over 87%.

Worldwide, there are an estimated 1.2 billion people in extreme poverty.
That's 20%.
Of the people in the world.
Who live on less than $1.25 per day.

Wow.

But, here's the kicker - it's not about the poverty. At least, not the money part. We aren't going to evangelize in Guatemala because they're living in poverty there. We're going because they need Jesus. The fact that they also need food, clothes, and shelter (which we can help give them) provides an open door to give the most needed, the most important, and the most lasting thing at the same time - salvation.

Remember - the only way we're going to be able to help with those living in the poverty-stricken nation of Guatemala, is because of the generosity of those living in the prosperity-driven nation of the United States.

Please pray about contributing to our mission. (Select 'Farrier' from the pulldown menu.)

Please take a moment to thank God for your own financial wealth, especially in light of the fact that so many in the world have so much less.

Please work in your own neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, communities, homes, and churches to end the most dangerous type of poverty of all - spiritual poverty, and the absence of salvation through Jesus Christ.

That's a poverty that no one can afford to have.

Rich and poor have this in common:
    The Lord is the Maker of them all.

- Proverbs 22:2

About the Money Thing....

We're getting ready to walk away from careers. A home. Friends. Family. Normalcy. We're getting ready to walk away from pretty much everything we've ever known, in order move to Guatemala to share the gospel and the love of Christ. Want to know what the hardest part of that is for us?

The money part.

Sounds silly, maybe, but it's true. You see, we've always been the 'go to work, pay your bills on time, live within your means' kind of people. We've had some lean years. We've had some less lean years. But, through it all, we always had the underlying sense of satisfaction that comes from working hard and reaping the reward of that hard work.

We won't have that in Guatemala.

It is humbling beyond what words can tell to think about living a life depending on other people's financial support. Humbling, and (quite frankly) scary. It is very easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of doubt and worry - obsessing over whether or not there will be enough money for us to do what we need to do.

Which is silly.

Our God is a big, big God. He's so big He even sees and takes care of sparrows. And grass. And the lilies of the field. I know He will take care of us when we seek His kingdom first. I mean, the original missionaries (disciples) were told to go out into the world without even an extra pair of sandals or any money at all. God knew that there would be people along the way to provide them with every necessity and blessing they would need, just like there will be people to do the same for us.

But, we've got to ask those people, and that's where it gets tough for me.

I feel pulled - between the call of God to ask everyone we know to partner with us in this mission,  and my own fears that we will alienate our friends, family, and acquaintances by asking for their financial support.

I don't want to lose friends. I don't want people to be annoyed by me, or think less of me, or to never want to have anything to do with me again. But, even more than that, I don't want to lose out on what God wants/needs me to do. I don't want God to be annoyed by me, or think less of me, or to never want to have anything to do with me again.

So, that's why I'm asking everyone I've ever met to support us and our mission. Even though it's humbling. Even though it's hard.

Sometimes, when I think about doing speaking engagements and asking people for their financial partnership ('cause we really haven't had to do that much, yet), I practice speeches in my head that I'd like to say.

Things like:

"Oh, dear friend/family member/co-worker/acquaintance/person I just met a few seconds ago -

I want you to know that I promise not to be offended if you choose not to give us money. Really! Honest!!

I'm only asking you to partner with us financially because I know, that I know, that I know, that I know that this is what God is asking me to do, and that out of my obedience, He will be greatly glorified and magnified in my life, and in your life, and in the lives of others we have not yet even met or imagined.

And, dear friend/family member/co-worker/ etc... -

I hope that you choose to partner in our mission for exactly the same reason - because you are also excited to know, that you know, that you know that you're being called to give because it will glorify and magnify God, and that's what you long to do in life."

We do not want pity money. Or feeling-sorry-for-you money. Or given-out-of-guilt money. (Ok, so we'd *take* that money if you felt like giving it, of course, but we would hope your reasons would change once you followed the impulse to give, so we could all be blessed by the experience.)

Most of all, though, we don't necessary want money at all, per se. What we want are people who will catch our vision of sharing the gospel. What we want are people who want to give their whole lives (finances included) to furthering Christ's kingdom. What we want are partners, not just givers, who will be with us for the long haul, and lend their faith and their prayers for this mission.

That's what we're looking for. And, even though it sounds reallyreallyreally big and impossible to me, nothing is impossible or too hard for God, and that's something I can truly bank on.

So - do you feel called to partner with us? We are looking for people who will commit to monthly contributions in order to meet our $2,500 monthly need. We're also looking for people who want to contribute occasionally, as they are able or feel led to do so, in order to build our $10,000 sending/emergency fund.

All donations are tax-deductible! Payments can be made by check through the mail to

World Outreach Ministries

PO Box B

Marietta, GA 30061

(Write 'Farrier - 251' in the memo section)

Or, donations can be made online (including setup of monthly donations using credit or debit cards) at this address:

www.worldoutreach.org/donate

(Select 'Farrier' from the pulldown menu)

There really is no wrong way or amount to contribute, as long as you're led by God in your giving! (Seriously. If that means you feel led not to give, we won't have any hard feelings about. I promise. I hope that you won't have hard feelings about the fact that we're asking.)

And, if the sacrifice of faithful of prayer is what you have to give to our mission, we'd love that as well! We want this whole experience to be positively bathed in prayers!

Remember - God's promise is that everyone (you, us, those in Guatemala, and God himself) will be blessed by giving to missionaries. (2 Cor. 9:10-11, Phil. 4:17, Phil. 4:19) Thank you for your faithfulness and generosity on His behalf!