Posted by Dave
We are looking for a team of people to support us as we go. Let me explain what that means. Based on the book Serving as Senders by Neal Pirolo, there are 6 areas of support we need.
1. Moral Support: Encouraging and active listening. We get cold feet and wonder if this is the right thing at times. It is a huge step to leave families and the lives we are familiar with. This will need to be worked out as to how we interact and share, but we are looking for support in this area.
2. Logisitics Support: handling the nuts and bolts of continuing home country responsibilities says the book. Though the world is getting smaller in a sense with the communications we have now, we will still need the occasional helping hand here in the states to take care of things personally when we cant ourselves. It could be maintaining accountability in what we do, helping to manage business/tax/health affairs when we cant from overseas. Perhaps attending to shipping some things or finding resources that we cant.
3. Financial Support: I wish I could tell you that 20 bucks a month would support a starving missionary in the wilds of Milan, but I cant. The cost of living is actually a little higher than in LA. But we arent going so we can get a bigger house; we are going in response to Gods call. So we will need support.
Shelly and I are planning on working and supporting ourselves because we will have the citizenship and can do that. Ronnie will not be able to legally work right away, so financial support must be raised. One person has already asked about giving, which we are not quite ready for yet, but this function on the particular senders team I am looking for is not a person that is necessarily supporting us with your personal finances, but helping with management, perhaps taxes etc.
4. Prayer Support: The biggy. We are looking for people to keep our ministry in the home churches minds. Its easy to get lost in all the things happening, so the prayer support people will not only pray, but keep others informed of what is needed.
5. Communication Support: This is an area that, due to our particular location, may not be such a huge need. We will be well connected for communications. We arent moving to the desert or jungle, it is a large western city with a better communications infrastructure than our own. So I will need to assess this as to what we need. BUT . Perhaps I am missing something right now. IF this is an area you feel like you can help, then let me know.
6. Re-entry Support: We are pretty much cutting our ties here. We arent planning on coming back. Well, well be back now and again to visit, but as for moving we are in it for the long haul. So when we are back, we will need transportation/lodging, etc.
The book is written about assisting cross-cultural workers, but as I mentioned we are not perhaps in such a foreign culture as some of the book scenarios. Milano is a large western city, very much like LA. Given the fact that there are 2 couples going, we will have at least each other for support, we have our families, and we have an excellent communications network to utilize. So some of the factors are perhaps not as great as they would be otherwise. However, all that means is that IF you commit to being on the team, you probably wont have to do as much as in other situations. [hows that for a pitch? ; ) ] But we still covet people to help in these areas. Especially the prayer team. If you are interested in this and you feel God is calling you to it, then contact me and we will integrate you into the process. Well find a time when we can start getting together.