Hitherto Hath The Lord Helped Us Part I

Why are missionaries leaving their posts in other countries? Which of these reasons are preventable? How can we care for missionaries so that Christ's commission to "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel" may be accomplished?  I hope to explore some of these questions in a couple of short blog posts, with great help from the research project conducted by WEC titled "ReMap" meaning 'Reducing Missionary Attrition Project' conducted in 1994 and later in 2003 ReMap II focusing on the U.S. as a sending country.  William David Taylor compiled a book titled "Too Valuable to Lose: Exploring the Causes and Cures of Missionary Attrition" copyright 1997 by the William Carey Library.  Google books has a lot of this book available to read for free online.  The ReMAP research project accomplished much by not only researching agencies from the Old Sending Countries (i.e. USA, UK, Germany, etc.) but also researching agencies from the New Sending Countries such as Brazil, Korea, Nigeria, and the Philippines, to name a few.  Amongst the New Sending Countries, the number one and two reasons given for leaving the mission field were:

1. Lack of Home Support (the financial and prayer network)
2. Lack of Call (a clear call to missions from God)

This is in contrast to missionaries sent from Old Sending Countries which named these top reasons for attrition:

1. Normal Retirement
2. Children  (e.g. education, adjustment issues, etc.)

[Too Valuable to Lose, pg.92-93]

Though the financial support question for missionaries from the Majority World is an obvious danger, missionaries from the U.S. can struggle, too, with making ends meet and providing the necessary support system to accomplish their work for the Kingdom.  Missionaries may struggle whether to go to the doctor or not for serious health issues because they do not have the money necessary to go.  They may have trouble with finding adequate transportation because of needed car repairs or lack of a car altogether. Others struggle with how to educate their children without the funds necessary to do so.  I see two important solutions to these problems:

1. Despite our perceived lack, we put our hope and trust in God, who will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) A deep abiding trust is needed to keep going in our call to serve.  We can learn much from Hudson Taylor, missionary to China in the 19th Century, on this topic of trust.

Clearly, the highest value for Taylor was that of trust in God, who can always be counted on. Ebenezer ("Hitherto hath the Lord helped us") and Jehovah jireh ("The Lord will provide") became his watchwords.

Through his entire ministry, Taylor's trust was tested in regard to financial support. Inspired by George Muller, he decided to avoid debt like the plague, and to make no appeal for funds except to God Himself. He was not averse to describing a need, but he resolutely let God inspire the giving and saw the blessing, with unexpected finances coming when most needed. "Money wrongly placed and money given from wrong motives are both to be greatly dreaded," he said. "Depend upon it, God's work done in God's way will never lack God's sup plies." One time he noted, "We have twenty-five cents and all the promises of God."

[Ed Gallagher, article "Hudson Taylor: the man God shaped for China," Ministry Journal, November 2005]  We have seen this over and over again in our years of ministry.  God will never forsake the righteous.  He is always faithful.

2. Every effort must be made by the Church to send missionaries well-equipped and continue to support them in private and corporate prayer, through adequately funding their efforts, and by providing as much missionary care as possible.  We must look beyond ourselves and look to God whose economy is not ours and from Whom all blessings flow, see where He is working, and become a part of obeying Christ's commission to "Go."  As John Piper has so famously spoken, "Go, send, or disobey." May we store up treasures in heaven by supporting the teachers and preachers of the Gospel both here in our home country and abroad to preach the Gospel where Christ has never been named.

Make-Ahead Cooking

The Lord blessed us with a lot of meat this past week.  Our local market store had ground beef for $2.99 per pound, Pork Shoulder Roast for $1.69 per pound, and I was given ten pounds of turkey thighs. (Thanks, sis.)  Aldi had chicken breasts on sale for about $1.60, so I picked up six pounds.  My fridge was full!  What to do?  Time to divide the meat out into different meals to freeze. It has taken me some convincing to try this by my full-time night nurse sisters who cook a whole month's meals in advance and then freeze them (Once-A-Month-Cooking).  But after being blessed by Freezer Meals from K the month before we moved last year, I got hooked.  In addition to the abundance of meat, I had a LOT of mashed potatoes and some Vidalia Dressing from Ruby's Pantry, a food-share program that I participate in.  This program is not based on financial need, but rather is an economical way to distribute food that is being thrown out by companies or overstocked.  Each person pays $20 for a share of food.  It is always such a blessing.  Every month, the food distributed is different, so it is an adventure in what recipes to make out of the abundance.

So, I looked at what I had, and I prayed for God to give me wisdom about what to make and how to spend my time.  After two days of cooking, I made about thirty Potato Buns, two loaves of Potato Bread, four meals of Meatballs, two meals of mexican bean & veggie Hamburgers, one beef/salami Penne meal, three meals of Vidalia marinated Chicken, one mashed potato Shepherd's Pie, one Curry Chicken & Broccoli Rice meal from leftover roasted chicken, two meals of Turkey Tetrazzini, and one BBQ turkey thighs Crock-Pot Meal.  Fifteen meals!   Tomorrow I hope to tackle the Pork and make some Hungarian Goulash and Pork and Veggies.  My sisters can make 28 meals in about 10 hours.  With what I have on hand, it is taking me about three days to make about 18 meals!  I have a long way to go to catch up to their speed, but I am thankful for this technique and its creative process while making good use of our time and resources.

Praise For Homemakers

Homemakers, you really are valuable.  I told my husband on our anniversary that some people say, "My husband makes the money, and I spend it," but I don't like to spend our money, especially on frivolous things.  I want to use it to help our family and to live.  He said he would say to people, "I make the money, and she saves it."  That was a very honoring thing for Ethan to say to me.  I really do value homemaking and the role it has served our family over the years.  I honor my mother for all she did to make a home for us growing up, too.

A few weeks ago, I canned tomato sauce from our garden tomatoes.  That month's work also produced some yummy canned chokecherry jelly and grape jelly.  My Kerr Home Canning Book published in 1948 and sold for 10 cents came in handy! My grandma gave this book to me from her collection of cookbooks.  Ruth Kerr, president of the Kerr Glass Manufacturing Corporation wrote these words in her amazing introduction that I would submit for your contemplation today:

OURS IS A GREAT HERITAGE, YOURS AND MINE… For we stand first in line as our country's greatest single asset---the American Homemaker.  Again we gladly shoulder the responsibilities of our heritage, for this year we are being asked to be not only Homemakers, we are being asked to join the great forces of our Government in its program of world nutrition.  As American Homemakers we have been invited to represent America in this urgent world crisis, but our conference table will be in the kitchens of our homes, where each gleaming jar of canned fruit and vegetables is our contribution to our country's Blueprint for World Security.

I spent several hours today mending clothes that have piled up in a box over the past four months.  I hate throwing away perfectly good clothes when they just need a little needle and thread work to make them useful again.  My grandma and my mom taught me that by example.  A few years ago, a Swedish friend who worked with college students told me that one of the students wanted to throw away an expensive sweater because the button fell off.  She looked at the young lady, handed her a needle and thread, and told her to learn to sew on a button.  I hope that young people in this generation will learn the value of homemaking and of doing things for yourself for the sake of your family and your country.

How We Survived Graduate School and Stayed Out of Debt Part 2

Accepting God's will and and doing it. Trusting God and making choices to "not fret. It only causes harm." These are basic faith issues that people in all financial positions must come to terms with. Phil. 3:12-14 states: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I would like to add a few things to my running list of how we stayed out of debt during Ethan's seminary years. I hope and pray for all who read this, that they would know the God who supplies all their needs as they walk in faith and obey Him by faith every day of their lives.

The first five points I made can be found on the previous post with the same theme. Here are some more tips I would like to add:

6. Turn off the lights! Energy conservation is a wonderful way to save money. I am still struggling to train my kids about this, but the principle remains the same. If you are not using that room, turn the lights off. The same applies to appliances that are not being used. This sounds really cheap, but we even use half the lightbulbs in the dining room fixture and bathroom vanity to save money. It looks kind of "poor" but it helps save electric costs at least for now in our lives.

7. Turn down the heat! In the winter we keep the house at 64 degrees F. during the day and 62 degrees F. at night. It feels chilly, but we counter the cold with slippers that are always readily available, sweaters, and throw blankets. When I was a kid, my mom made us wear long johns, too. I haven't quite trained my kids to wear these yet. Some people cannot have a cool house for health reasons, especially older folks, so use caution. It also helps to turn down the water heater to a lower temperature.

8. Follow the advice of the gas or electric company for energy conservation. Last year, our gas company sent a pamphlet explaining ways to prevent heat loss in the house. I tried a few of these methods: close all window shades or blinds in rooms you are not using. Close all window shades or blinds during the night. This made quite an impact on our heating bill! Another great method is to cover windows with 3M window treatments.

9. Potty-train early! I prayed about finishing Amy's potty training at 22 months in order to save money on diapers. It went really well for her, though I know this is not the case with all kids. We worked on it very hard for three days straight (go to the potty every 20-30 minutes, stay there with her, praise her for a job well done), and we have saved a lot of money this way. Many friends of mine use cloth diapers. This is a great way to save, too. I figured that if Ukrainians can train their babies at less than a year of age to use a toilet, I could try to train my little girls early, too.

10. Buy second-hand or season end clearance. Don't be ashamed to accept hand-me-downs from friends for your kids' clothing. The gifts of second-hand clothing has helped us tremendously, and we are so grateful for it. We shop at Savers or Goodwill, as well as garage sales. It has saved us hundreds of dollars in clothing costs.

11. I took advantage of local food share programs. In this town we have bought groceries from AngelFood Ministries through a local church as well as purchased boxes of food from Ruby's Pantry in Inspiration Lutheran Brethren Church in Breckenridge, MN. Ruby's has been a huge blessing to us, and we are so grateful for this ministry.

12. Hang your wet laundry on a clothesline and use homemade laundry soap. Here is a recipe for detergent that I got from my friend, Christine. The only change to the recipe I made was to use Ivory Soap instead of a Fels-Naptha bar. It has saved us hundreds of dollars. Laundry detergent is one of the most expensive items we buy. By the way, I don't hang my laundry on winter days or when I am super busy! I am not that crazy.

13. I use Folgers coffee or even Great Value brand instead of the expensive brand of coffee. This was admittedly a sacrifice on Ethan's part as he really enjoys a good cup of coffee, especially after enjoying Lavazza and Illy coffee in Europe.

14. As a last resort, take advantage of certain government programs such as WIC and government medical assistance if you cannot afford these basic health/medical needs. Our local WIC program has benefitted our small children tremendously.

15. Be generous. Don't quit tithing to the Lord. God will supply all your needs.

16. Reuse things and "Do it Yourself." Hah! My sister-in-law gives the Larson family grief that certain family members wash out and reuse Ziploc bags. I can't help myself! It is a great way to save money! And, the other Larson sensibility in life is to do it yourself. I am blessed to be married to a great handyman, and I have been known to try some things myself, sometimes successful, sometimes not. It has been fun, anyway!

17. Don't use credit cards and avoid taking out loans. Pray and see how God supplies!

18. Did I mention trust in God?

God did supply! Did I mention all the wonderful family and friends who have been there for us during this time? We are humbled and grateful. Thanks be to Him!

How We Survived Graduate School and Stayed Out of Debt Part 1

Graduate School or Seminary can be a very financially trying time for families. God has been so good to us and provided everything we have needed, though I would be dishonest if I told you we did not have moments of panic. God has turned those moments of worry or fear into trust as we see God's faithfulness and care just like a shepherd cares for all the needs of His sheep. We are still waiting on God for long-term employment, but as we work each day and trust God, He is providing our needs. God's word is a shield guarding our minds and hearts and changing our hearts of fear into faith and trust in Jesus, who is rich in mercy.

Recently my sister helped me to see that God may be using these times of our financial leanness for the sake of others. She encouraged me to teach others what God has helped us with to survive this time. In the years to come, more families are going to have to make decisions that are not comfortable because of these precarious times. People cannot afford to live in the luxury they have become accustomed to. The choices we will have to make must begin now in our daily habits. People cannot see their spending habits as a "right" but rather a privilege, and a rich responsibility of stewarding all that God has given them. This takes planning, conservative spending habits, and trust in God and His promises. I hope this will not be a legalistic view, but rather a help to people who are struggling. God did it all, not us, so to His name be the glory. So, here is Part 1 of a list of things that have helped us live debt-free during hard times:

1. I stayed home with the kids. Though some would consider this to be foolish or irresponsible especially during lean times, it has actually given us a stability and saved us hundreds of dollars through the work I have been able to do at home which I will describe in some of the following points. I have some friends who worked to put their husband's through school, which I know they feel is best for them. I do not judge them for that. I admire their devotion to their family in working so hard. For us, though, my staying home was the best option for our young children which we do not regret.
2. Gardening, Canning, and Freezing. We have been blessed to live at my "In-Law's" house during our seminary years, thus providing a wonderful garden plot that has provided pounds and pounds of fresh produce during the spring, summer, and fall. I preserve whatever I can get my hands on through canning and freezing. Some people have blessed us with the gift of produce from their gardens and from local produce they have bought. One family anonymously gave us a box of pears last year which I promptly canned for the winter. Two families blessed us with a large amount of potatoes both years Ethan was in seminary. We kept these in a cool place and they lasted throughout the winter.
3. Only spend money on what you need, buy generic items, and only buy what is on sale or with coupons.
4. Financial gifts and scholarships from Christian family, friends, and churches. The love and generosity people have shown us these years, as well as the support they have given is remarkable and a great testimony of the love of Christ in these people.
5. Trust in God. Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.