Living on Support - Part 1

This is an issue many of us missionaries struggle with.  If we don't, we know someone in our family who does not understand why we would not work "normal" jobs, though we do work temp jobs and bi-vocationally sometimes... So, I thought, why don't I share with everyone some of the scripture and helps that have been shared with me since 2008 when my husband and I began looking into this type of life.


Jesus received support for His earthly ministry:
Luke 8:1-3 "Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,  and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means."


Paul received support from Philippi:
Philippians 4:16-19 "Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God." 

and from Phoebe:
Romans 16:1-2  "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well."

and Paul taught others to support the ministry:
Galatians 6:6 "Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches."

John the Beloved wrote to fellow Christians: 
3 John 1:5-8 "Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth."

And God set up this system for the Levites, the pastors, teachers, and missionaries of the OT:
Numbers 18:21-24 "I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting. From now on the Israelites must not go near the tent of meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die.  It is the Levites who are to do the work at the tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for any offenses they commit against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites.  Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites'."

There are so many other verse that have brought me comfort as we continue to live the missionary use.  I will be sure to share more with everyone later.  I trust these help, and that they will aid you as you head out on your ministry and serve the Lord to where He has called you.

~ Michelle

Frybread Taco Recipie

My husband and I live most of the time among the Navajo, and Frybread is used for everything from desert to tacos to burgers to pizzas.  Here is one of our favorite treats and "easy" to make about any where you dwell.  (Please note, it takes some practice to get fry bread to come out in a pretty circle, but it tastes just as good in odd shapes.)

Yields: 4 servings 

Prep time: 15 min 

Cook time: 8 min

Ingredients:

1 cup unbleached flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon powdered milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup water

Vegetable oil for frying

Extra flour to flour your hands

Preparation:

Sift together the flour, salt, powdered milk, and baking powder into a large bowl. Pour the water over the flour mixture all at once and stir the dough with a fork until it starts to form one big clump. 

Flour your hands well. Using your hands, begin to mix the dough, trying to get all the flour into the mixture to form a ball. You want to mix this well, but you do NOT want to knead it. Kneading it will make for a heavy Fry Bread when cooked. The inside of the dough ball should still be sticky after it is formed, while the outside will be well floured.

Cut the dough into four (4) pieces. Using floured hands, shape, stretch, pat, and form a disk of about 5 to 7 inches in diameter. Don’t worry about it being round. As Shi'ma Anna would say “it doesn’t roll into your mouth.”

In a deep heavy pot, heat the vegetable oil to about 350 degrees F. One can check if the oil is hot enough by either dropping a small piece of dough in the hot oil and seeing if it begins to fry, or by dipping the end of a wooden spoon in and seeing if that bubbles. The oil should be about 1-inch deep in a large cast-iron skillet or other large heavy pot.

Take the formed dough and gently place it into the oil, being careful not to splatter the hot oil. Press down on the dough as it fries so the top is submersed into the hot oil. Fry until brown, and then flip to fry the other side. Each side will take approximately 3 to 4 minutes to cook. Place the cooked Fry Bread on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Fry Bread can be kept warm in a 200 degree F. oven for up to 1 hour. They refrigerate well and can be reheated in a 350 degree F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Toppings:
Cooked Beans (We normally use pinto or Anasazi.)
Lettuce, Chopped
Tomatoes, Diced
Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese (or a combo of both), Grated
Sour Cream
Salsa

Additional Toppings:
Avocados, Diced
Cilantro, Chopped

Enjoy!

~ Michelle 

Combating Homesickness: While Off the Mission Field

I have often been asked, how can you be homesick for the place you served in?  Not sure, other than once you get adjusted to the culture you live and minister in, you can actually have reverse culture shock when you return to "home" off the mission field.  So how do you combat homesickness while back "home" on furlough?  Here are some simple tips and tricks I have learned:

1) Be A Tourist - Take a day and visit places as a tourist.  Is there a tourist place in your home town or near by you have never gone to?  Visit it and take pictures to share with people back on the field.

2) Gather Gifts - Look for gifts for people back home on the field.  Make sure they are items that can travel easy and if need be, can go through customs, but make it fun!

3) Keep a Journal - It is a good idea to keep a journal on or off the mission field.  Personally, I keep one for on the field and one for on furlough.

4) It's Okay to Feel Different - Depending on how long you have been gone from your country of origin, you may be having reverse culture shock.  Prices of things may seen shockingly cheep or high to you, depending on the item.

5) Don't Stay in Your Country of Origin to Long - Staying to long on furlough, makes it harder to get back to where you are called as a missionary.

6) If possible, schedule churches for your furlough way in advance. - Many church that already support you will be happy to have you in on short notice, but one of you major goals with you furlough should be be to raise more support for your ministry.   This will help you be more effective in the ministry God has called you to do.  This also helps you not have as much time to get homesick (although talking about home can make it flare sometimes), and get you back home on the missions field faster.

7) Don't ever stop learning. - Being back in your country of origin is a great opportunity to improve yourself between meeting by gleaning wisdom from Christians in the ministry, construction, music, computers, and any other field of study that would be useful to you.

8) Being a missionary is a calling and one of the greatest things you can do with your life. - Don't forget your calling.  While on furlough, we have the chance to see God use us to call others to the mission field.  We are not God, and should not twist people's arms into ministry, but also we should do our best to be an example and help others answer God's calling in their lives.

~ Michelle

Missionary Wife: Missionary Living's Beginnings...

I am a missionary wife.  Before that I was the associate pastor's (dad) and mission coordinator's (mom) daughter.  I grew up in and around ministry.  Now I live most of the time out on the mission field.  Even though my dad was always bi-vocational while I was growing up, my mom still did and still does things the way they did when they were not bi-vocational.  In many ways that was a blessing, as I learned very early to be extremely creative with very little.

For our home on the Navajo Reservation, I am morphed used 2nd (sometimes 5th or 10th) hand furniture and cold, drab walls into homey, inviting living quarters, all with scarves, blankets, flea market treasures, and gift decor.

Piece of advice to any young missionary setting out, pick one favorite game like mancala or dominoes that is small and travels well, take a 4x6 photo album filled with pictures of family and friends with room to add your life on the field, and find a cloth wall hanging (for me it is a antique Navajo sample rug, two celtic cross sarongs, and a favorite shirt turned wall hanging), and pack those in your bag.  Even if you can take only 2 small bags, those fit well, and give you instant home!  Helps make a lonely new place feel homey fast.

~ Michelle