Sunday, January 27, 2008

YAY!

i have great news! a couple months ago i went to a meeting of our missions team at dfcc (World Wide Outreach) to present an idea. i proposed that my trip to ecuador be a church-sponsored trip. not in the sense that i want the church to front the money. but in the sense that i would like dfcc to be my sending agent for this short-term trip. this is what that means:

  • i would be sent out as a missionary to ecuador from this church, not through a different missionary agency like the one i went through to go to peru.
  • the church would be a forwarding agent for funds...meaning any money intended to support me (provided by myself or anyone wishing to contribute) goes to the church with a little note saying "amy-ecuador" and dfcc deposits the money into an account from which i can withdraw in ecuador. i then provide an account of all the money withdrawn to dfcc, specifying for what purpose said money was withdrawn creating financial accountability between me and church and financial accountability between church and contributor. also, tax write-offs.
  • the church would provide prayer support for me and my ministry in ecuador, as it would be considered a sort of "overseas ministry" of dfcc.
  • the church (or specifically the elders and/or missions team or specific person from either said group) would act as an emergency contact, provider of overseas health insurance, and communications liason between me and the local church body, as i would be expected to communicate regularly with the local body in downey about my ministry and life experiences in ecuador (my plan is to use all kinds of media to do this, blog posts, e-mails, pictures, videos).
if it sounds like kind of a big job, that's because it is. it's what a missionary agency does. that's why our church has not done this...there are entire agencies set up to do it. but it's totally beneficial. see, (and this is my opinion) right now if you were to go to the church (elders/leaders) and say, "i think i'd like to be a missionary." or "i'd like to do a short-term mission trip, but i'd like to go independently, not with a group." our answer is an emphatic, genuine, "that's awesome! good luck with all your plans! we'll be praying for you and your ministry. let us know how it goes for you." this is not a bad or discouraging answer. but an answer we could give (which would be super awesome) could be, "that's awesome! where would you like to go? and for how long? here's a list of missionaries we know in these different countries that would love to have you. this is the bank that you need to open an account with. this is the type of visa you need to have. these are the papers you need to fill out in order to get this type of visa. this is how much money you need to raise. this is how we can help you with that. we will commit to praying for your trip and helping you get there. you need to commit to acting as an ambassador of God and of this church to the place you are going. and to providing financial accountability to us as we will be acting as your sending agent/forwarding agent. and to providing us with regular updates of what's happening in your ministry."

do you see the difference? i really think we are in a place to do this. we have put a lot of priority in missions over the years, and i think this is the next step. it is obviously beneficial to me (even though it means a lot of work, since this trip will lay the groundwork for many trips to come), but it is beneficial to anyone in this church with a desire to try their hand at ministry in a foreign country in the future. and it is beneficial to this church because it will add a new dimension to our short-term missions program and it will establish a process for sending out independent, short-term missionaries.

so that was my proposal to wwo in november, and wwo recommended the proposal to the elders in december, and the elders have approved the proposal which means it's going to happen! and i'm very excited. from this point on, i am going to try my best to document the process that i go through, and i may be coming to my blogging friends from time to time with questions about the best way to transfer media files of different sizes, or the best kind of video camera to buy in a certain price range...or i may ask you to take a survey on what kinds of things interest you/don't interest you about foreign culture/missions work/the ways in which missionaries communicate and what kinds of things they should communicate back home. and i will greatly appreciate your input because i trust you and because your opinions matter. except yours...you know who you are.

9 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

So now that I see how it all lays out on paper, I am so excited both for you and dfcc. I hope you know that we meant what we said in your birthday card wholeheartedly. We love and know that God has great things for you! Thank God for technology so that you won't miss Olivia growing up, no matter where you are in the world.

6:19 PM  
Blogger Trento said...

What a major blessing. Its pretty cool how God provides right? May I ask how the fundraising is coming along?

11:08 PM  
Blogger Padfoot240 said...

Excitement!!
God is a God who saves!

10:27 AM  
Blogger Amy said...

yes, good times, indeed. i'm still saving up...so the fundraising is going well. and i will definitely be asking you your opinion about the video cameras in the near future, nathan. thanks.

2:25 PM  
Blogger Kevin Morrison said...

really? you don't want my opinion?

10:04 AM  
Blogger Amy said...

depends on who's asking. kevin or jill?

10:40 AM  
Blogger Kevin Morrison said...

(tossed coin)

Jill?

8:45 PM  
Blogger Amy said...

come on, jill... do you even have to ask?

12:11 AM  
Blogger Sarah said...

One thing I really don't like about the world of missions is the pressure to produce results you can count, as well as the pressure of not being able to share when times are tough.
So, what I'd like to hear from you when you're in Ecuador is what you are already good at--being real. I want to rejoice with you on your good days, be frustrated when you share about someone who has been especially resistent to the gospel, and know to pray when it seems like you are in a pit with no foreseeable way out.
Don't succumb to the outside expectation of producing results--only God can do that. But show us your faitfulness to the task he has given you, and we (well, at least I) will be hanging on your every word. :)

11:14 PM  

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