Refresh: Can I try that again?

"Good news refreshes the bones." - Proverbs 15:30b

This is part of an ongoing series called "Refresh" which highlight tales of God providing, especially in amazing, fun and unexpected ways. Details may be modified to protect privacy. May this tale help refresh your bones!

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I'd been raising support for about nine months.  I mostly felt like I knew the routine, but every so often I'd show up at a meeting with a new person and I'd become gripped by fear.  (Those were most often times when I wouldn't ask God for help beforehand.)

This is the story of one of those fear-drenched meetings... and how God overcame it.

Jim (not his real name) was a businessman who I'd met while visiting a church.  He lived about 20 miles from my home in the middle of nowhere.  He's also straight-up Type-A.  When I showed up at his home that evening, he greeted me with, "Hello Tony.  You can sit there.  I've got to run in exactly 29 minutes.  Tell me what God's called you to do."

Businessman + direct + less than half an hour = GRIPPING FEAR

I shared my fearful heart out for the next 20 minutes.  At least I hope I did.  I barely remember it.  I just know that I said "umm" a bunch and repeated myself at least three times.  Thankfully I think it was the gospel that I'd repeated.  But like I said, I barely remember it.

Jim paid attention the whole time but didn't say much until about that 20-minute mark.  Then he asked a few questions in rapid-fire succession.  They were about what kind of training I'd received (which I think I answered well), what my home church thought (generally supportive but not giving) and what my day-to-day work would look like (I wasn't totally sure, but I talked about other missionaries with my organization.)

Apparently answering those questions took 9 minutes, however, because Jim got up and said, "Sounds like a good thing you're doing, Tony.  I've got to get going.  Thanks for driving on out here."

Businessman + direct + LEAVING RIGHT NOW = FEARRRRRRR!!!!

As he began to put on his coat, I told him that I'd love it if he'd be willing to pray for my ministry.  He quickly agreed and then guided me to the door.  As it closed behind me, I knew I'd failed.  I was so scared of this guy that I'd been completely unwilling to ask about money.  I sulkily got in my car and started it up.  I was just about to pull away when I glanced (for about the 1000th time) at a notecard I kept taped to my dash that said:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

I want to be clear as to what happened next.  It was NOT that I stopped being afraid.  In fact, I think I became even MORE fearful.  But it was no longer Jim that I was scared of.  It was the LORD.  He had commanded me, and here I was being frightened and dismayed.  Suddenly I felt angry (at myself), sad (at the meeting) and determined (rare!) all at once.  In perhaps the quietest whisper of a prayer I'd ever uttered, out came, "You're with me wherever I go.  Okay.  Be with me now."

I opened my car door and got out just as Jim began backing his car out of his garage.  I jogged up to the passenger-side door and caught his eye.  He rolled down the window.

"Hey Jim.  I'm sorry; I didn't quite say what I wanted to say back there."  I gestured toward the house. "Can I try that again?"

Jim stared at me totally deadpan for the longest second-and-a-half of my life.  "What's on your mind, Tony?"

Businessman + direct + God with me = ...confidence like I'd never had before...

"Jim, I told you that I wanted you to pray for me.  And that's true, and thank you for being willing.  But I'm also looking for financial help to do what God has commanded me to do.  Could I count on your help for six thousand dollars a year?"

Another second and a half.  A really, really long second and a half.  My heart was pounding, but honestly it was more excitement that I'd actually said something rather than fear of [business]man.

"I'd be happy to, Tony.  I'll send in a check tomorrow.  Have a good night."  Then he drove off.

I didn't drive away that night for probably 20 more minutes.  Instead, I sat in my warm car and spent a lot of time thanking God and actually asking for more courage like that.  He answered, and I was done fundraising almost exactly two months later.

Be strong and courageous, brothers and sisters.  God is with you wherever you go!


Submitted by "Tony".

Have a Refresh story to share?  Let me know!

Refresh: Just keep networking

"Good news refreshes the bones." - Proverbs 15:30b

This is part of an ongoing series called "Refresh" which highlight tales of God providing, especially in amazing, fun and unexpected ways. Details may be modified to protect privacy. May this tale help refresh your bones!

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I attended a really solid church while in college. I loved it! It was the kind you’re excited to bring lots of friends to. Lots of others felt the same way, so when I went into full-time ministry and began fundraising, I expected to meet a ton of eager supporters there!

However... without going into the details, no one in the church gave despite my very best efforts. (The church itself didn't give either.) It took me several months before I finally realized that nothing there was panning out, which of course was ridiculously discouraging to say the least.

However... I had met one encouraging couple there who seemed interested (though they never gave), and they introduced me to a lady at another church who received me warmly when I followed up. I had an appointment, asked her to give, and several weeks later got my answer: no.

However... that lady did end up giving me the number of a pastor she knew. I was excited about getting into another church network, but - you guessed it - neither the pastor nor anyone in that church ever gave even a dollar.

However... that pastor referred me to a foundation that support missionaries.

That foundation now gives fully one-sixth of my total support need every month.

Today's lesson?  Just... keep... networking!!!

Submitted by "Rebecca"

Refresh: Bad Math

"Good news refreshes the bones." - Proverbs 15:30b

This is part of an ongoing series called "Refresh" which highlight tales of God providing, especially in amazing, fun and unexpected ways. Details may be modified to protect privacy. May this tale help refresh your bones!

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My wife and I had recently gotten married and I was going around introducing her to my support team. Now that my family size had doubled, I was trying to raise additional funding. Thankfully, having a beautiful new wife on my arm made many conversations with donors a whole lot easier even when asking for increases in support! It may have been because I felt bolder. Or maybe it was that she was a much better conversationalist. In either case, things were going well and we were steadily getting the extra support we needed.

However, there was one supporting church in particular that had a very business-like (and therefore intimidating) Missions Board. On the way to the meeting where I'd be introducing her, we prayed together that they'd consider increasing their support from the already-generous $400 per month to $600 per month. Would God be so generous as to grant our request for a 50% increase?

The meeting went fairly well. As was always the case, I felt intimidated but still managed to share our vision for ministry as a couple, our increased support need and several prayer requests. However, what I completely, totally chickened out on was asking for that increase to $600 per month. I'd stopped short by telling them that we needed $X more per month, but I hadn't been specific. (Some would say that that's totally fine - my wife, however, had been expecting me to be specific as I'd said I would. Oops...) The Missions Board asked a few questions, prayed for our requests and then directed us to leave the room for a bit while they decided what to do.

We waited and prayed out in the lobby. I apologized to my wife for backing down and she graciously forgave me.

Then we were ushered back into the conference room where the Missions Board informed us of their decision: "We're very encouraged with your work. We'd like to double your support to $1000/mo."

We sat there dumbfounded. We were amazed that God answered our prayer and then some! We were amazed at the generosity of the Missions Board. We were amazed that they gave so much despite my not asking specifically. We were amazed that they thought that 400 x 2 = 1000.

We had no problem with that bad math.

Later on we noted to one of the Missions Board members that they previously only supported us at $400 per month, so they actually did more than double. He blushed and told us to not worry about it - they were happy to give. We're certain of that!

We're also certain, as we found out afterwards, that the Missions Board member we spoke to was a high school math teacher.

Submitted by "Garrett"

Refresh: Paging Dr. Mrs. Anderson

"Good news refreshes the bones." - Proverbs 15:30b

This is part of an ongoing series called "Refresh" which highlight tales of God providing, especially in amazing, fun and unexpected ways. Details may be modified to protect privacy. May this tale help refresh your bones!

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As I grew up I always admired Jacob Anderson from afar. He was a prominent local doctor who always had a ready smile and led about half the committees in our church. He even preached a few times when the pastor was away. Dr. Anderson, as many called him, always smiled at me and remembered my name, but we didn't interact much personally.

When I later entered full-time ministry and started fundraising, his name was mentioned by several people as someone I should contact. While that may seem like a no-brainer, it wasn't to me. I hadn't spoken with him in years and I honestly couldn't even remember his wife's name. Plus I was just starting to contact people I didn't know very well and I figured I'd have to "work up" to talking to someone so important in the community. Maybe he'd even get mad that I was only reconnecting with him to "ask for money"!

When I finally got up the nerve to call (after much prayer and a not-so-slight prodding from my fundraising mentor), his wife picked up the phone. I'm pretty certain that I called her, "Dr. Mrs. Anderson" or something equally awkward.

Once Jacob got on the phone, he quickly expressed how thrilled he was to hear from me! He asked me to explain what I was doing and 20 minutes later he'd committed to sending $250/month!!

He's given faithfully ever since.

His wife now sends me holiday cards, too. The first one was signed, "With much love, Jacob and Dr. Mrs. Anderson :)"

Submitted by "Richard"

Refresh: The place for smiles

"Good news refreshes the bones." - Proverbs 15:30b

This is part of an ongoing series called "Refresh" which highlight tales of God providing, especially in amazing, fun and unexpected ways. Details may be modified to protect privacy. May this tale help refresh your bones!

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"The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." (Proverbs 16:9 ESV)

My wife Melanie and I showed up at Starbucks to share our ministry with a couple but were dismayed to discover that not a single chair was empty and the line was out the door. It was obvious that we were going to have to think of a new place to have our appointment.

While we waited for the couple, we brainstormed alternative venues. Our usual backup is Wegman's because of their nice cafe. But we could also try the other usuals: McDonald's, Burger King, etc.

When the couple arrived, they noticed the seating issues as well. So after a little small talk I asked them where they'd prefer. Their response bewildered me: Eat'n Park.

Now, I have nothing particular against Eat'n Park. It's a fine establishment. But if you had asked me for my top 1000 places to meet for anything, Eat'n Park wouldn't have made the list. Nonetheless, off to Eat'n Park we went.

Other than the location, it was a fairly typical support appointment. We ordered coffee and the couple seemed interested as we shared. We chatted, asked if they'd consider financial support, asked if we could follow up, etc.

As we were wrapping up and heading toward the door, my mind was already moving onto other things. Then, all of a sudden, a man with a large smile stepped in front of me. He said hello and told me his name was Pete. The only response I could think of at the moment was, "I have no clue who you are!" Now, I didn't actually say that, but my face clearly showed it because he followed up by saying, "You don't know me." I sighed with relief that I hadn't forgotten someone. Then he continued.

"I wanted to stop you because I was sitting across the way from you and I overheard what you were sharing about your ministry. I'd like to support you."

It turns out that Pete is only in the area five times a month since he and his wife live more than an hour away. He just happened to be at Eat'n Park that night because he was eating dinner after finishing a job.

In the end, the couple we'd actually met with gave a generous one-time gift, but Pete is now a generous monthly donor who has faithfully given ever since our "appointed" appointment.

Oh... and I kinda like Eat'n Park now.

Submitted by "Fred"

Refresh: The best support appointment ever

"Good news refreshes the bones." - Proverbs 15:30b

This is part of an ongoing series called Refresh, named for the verse above. "Gospel" means "good news", and so it seems appropriate to highlight tales of God providing, especially in amazing, fun and unexpected ways. Note that unlike most Refresh posts, this one contains real names. It's simply too good a story to use anything else. May this tale help refresh your bones!

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This is the story of how God provided an unexpected blessing for my wife during a support appointment. (I can tell the story because I had something to do with its coming to pass.)

The story begins at the point during our courtship when I started planning how I was going to propose. I wanted to give her an experience she would recall fondly, and a story she would enjoy telling. I knew that if I could surprise her (in a pleasant way), I'd be halfway there. However, I faced the dilemma many guys face: how do you surprise her when she's expecting that you're going to ask?

I decided that simply asking in an unexpected moment wouldn't work. Instead, I concluded my best strategy would be to show up somewhere she didn't expect me to be. But how to do that?

I decided to stage a fake support appointment.

I knew Carin was making plans for a support trip to Harrisburg, so I called up a friend of mine who had connections there. When I asked him if he knew anyone who would make a good accomplice for my plan, he immediately mentioned his friend Gabe. (Notice how I was making use of my own networking skills?) I called Gabe, who turned out to be an enthusiastic helper. He would play the role of prospective donor for the staged appointment.

I still needed a way to connect Carin with Gabe, though. I enlisted the help of Carin's mom, who also lived in Harrisburg at the time. She told Carin that she had a referral for her, a guy named Gabe who had visited her church and expressed interest in hearing more about her ministry.

(Incidentally, I knew all along that this was the weakest point in the plan. Given the interconnectedness of Christian circles, I knew there was a chance that Carin would know who Gabe was—and it turned out she did. She told me later that it did seem weird that Gabe, who was well-connected at his own church in Harrisburg, would visit her mom's church.)

And here you see that my entire plan rested on Carin's fundraising diligence! If Carin didn't follow up on the referral, my plan would fail. Thankfully, though, she remembered what her fundraising mentor had told her: always follow up because you never know how God might use it!

Gabe and I together had devised what he would say when Carin called: "I'm planning to go out to dinner with my brother and sister-in-law that Saturday. But I'm sure they'd like to hear about your ministry too. Why don't you come with us? We'll treat. Great! Oh, and it's kind of a nice restaurant, so dress up. Meet us at my house and we'll all go over together."

Gabe was indeed at his house at the appointed time, but he answered the door wearing shorts and a T-shirt. His brother and sister-in-law were not there, but I was... wearing a suit and holding a dozen roses. Carin's plans for her evening - and indeed for her future - had changed.

Submitted by Brian Roberg

Refresh: Funding the Opposition

"Good news refreshes the bones." - Proverbs 15:30b

This is part of an ongoing series called "Refresh", named for the verse above. "Gospel" means "good news", and so it seems appropriate to highlight tales of God providing, especially in amazing, fun and unexpected ways. Names and other details are modified just enough so as not to incriminate the innocent... or guilty! May this tale help refresh your bones!

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The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will. (Proverbs 21:1 ESV)

Back when I was in college, I strongly disliked the boyfriend of one of my roommates. In fact, it would be fair to say that I hated him at first.

Despite that rocky beginning, we grew on each other and became good friends. He's involved in politics and runs several campaigns for people around the state. He spends a lot of time doing fundraising for large organizations and he's really good at it. The problem is that he's not a Christian and is quite outspoken about it.

Despite that, when he discovered that I was also doing fundraising he initiated us getting together for an appointment.

So we met one morning and had a good time catching up for a while. Eventually he got down to business and flat out asked me what my needs were. I responded by explaining that I wanted to share about what I'd be doing in my ministry and then we'd get to the money part.

He told me to save it - he didn't want to know about any ministry. He only wanted to give!

I replied that I generally ask for $100/month. Without blinking he said, "Okay. I'll write a yearly check."

I was amazed at the awesome way God provided support from that appointment, especially given our history and his anti-God mindset.  He even joked afterward that he'd be supporting me and I'd end up training people who would then work against him!

Years later, I still pray that God would use my donor's gifts, our relationship, our newsletters and whatever else He sees fit to bring my friend to Christ. Would you please pray with me?

Submitted by "Jackie"

Refresh: The Wise Big-City Pastor

"Good news refreshes the bones." - Proverbs 15:30b

This is part of an ongoing series called "Refresh", named for the verse above. "Gospel" means "good news", and so it seems appropriate to highlight tales of God providing, especially in amazing, fun and unexpected ways. Names and other details are modified just enough so as not to incriminate the innocent... or guilty! May this tale help refresh your bones!

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"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9 ESV)

Early in my fundraising experience, I traveled to a large city and met with a pastor there. I felt intimidated and was having a hard time believing he'd be interested in supporting my ministry. Because of that I did a very "soft" ask for financial support. I was apologetic and felt embarrassed. I felt like I didn't know what I was doing and only saw myself as a beggar. 

At that point this wise pastor stopped me and said, "You are an ambassador for the King. And this is God's work. It is a noble work. You don't ever have to apologize for asking for support for God's work!" 

This made a big impression on me and changed the way I asked for support on future appointments.

Submitted by "Brad"

Refresh: If I'd known that beforehand...

"Good news refreshes the bones." - Proverbs 15:30b

This is part of an ongoing series called "Refresh", named for the verse above. "Gospel" means "good news", and so it seems appropriate to highlight tales of God providing, especially in amazing, fun and unexpected ways. Names and other details are modified just enough so as not to incriminate the innocent... or guilty! May this tale help refresh your bones!

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About three months into my fundraising, I met with Jake and Emily at a local restaurant to share about the ministry. They were friends of friends, but seemed very friendly and eager. Unfortunately Jake had to leave early for a church meeting, but Emily stayed for quite a while and seemed very interested in helping. So, I asked who else she knew that I might be able to share with. Barely missing a beat, Emily pulled out a piece of paper from her purse and started writing down names!

She then handed me the paper and started telling me a little bit about each name. She listed three or four couples from her church (including phone numbers), and each one came with a short story about how she knew them. She also suggested Jake's employer and two coworkers. At the bottom of her list was "Pastor Vince" along with the name of a church about 30 minutes away. She told me that Vince was a great guy and that she was certain he'd love my ministry.

Over then next week I called down through that list and got a few more appointments. When I got to Pastor Vince, I called his church and asked for him. I was transferred over and he picked up. He seemed initially bothered by my call and I felt somewhat intimidated. But then I remembered how positively Emily had shared about him, and so I told him that I was friends with Emily and that she suggested we get together. His tone changed and he agreed to meet.

We met a couple days later at his church and we had a great time together! He was really excited about getting his church more involved in missions, and he resonated with a lot of the things I shared. Within forty minutes he'd arranged for me to meet with the missions committee, he'd suggested dates for me to come share with the congregation, and he was asking for blurbs to put in the bulletin. We finished the time by praying together.

As I was collecting my things to leave, I mentioned that I was so glad Emily connected us. He replied, "Oh, yeah. I meant to ask you about that. I have no idea who Emily is."

I later found out that Emily only knew Vince because Jake had seen him officiate a friend's wedding 10 years earlier. She'd never actually met or even seen him.

If I'd known that beforehand, I'd almost certainly never have asked for the appointment.

Vince's church ended up sending thousands of dollars in special gifts in the years that followed.

Refresh: A Spaghetti Tale

"Good news refreshes the bones." - Proverbs 15:30b

This is the first post of an ongoing series I'm calling "Refresh", named for the verse above. "Gospel" means "good news", and so it seems appropriate that I highlight tales of God providing, especially in amazing, fun and unexpected ways. I've read and heard a lot of great stories over the years, and I look forward to sharing them with you. I'll make it a point to change names and modify the stories just enough so as not to incriminate the innocent... or guilty =)

Most of these stories won't be from personal experience (I'll share enough of those throughout the rest of the blog), but this one happens to be a story I wrote years ago and have often shared with those about to embark on their first fundraising journey.  Disclaimer: this is by far the strangest story I personally have to offer - most fundraising appointments are not like this...

I hope this tale helps "refresh your bones"!

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Everything seemed to be going rather well on that unusually chilly summer evening... until about the time he answered the door.

As Jim greeted me, I noticed over his shoulder that his wife was still cleaning up dinner.  Uh-oh.  Was I early?  I hesitantly stepped inside, taking note of the clock on the wall.  Seven.  Just as he had told me the night before.

I glanced around at the two - no, wait, there’s a third one behind the couch - three kids and smiled helplessly as they began asking their parents who I was.  Jim told them I was "Tom" and that I was a "missionary", but apparently they viewed that as a far-from-sufficient answer, and the inquisition continued.

Meanwhile, I had been hoping to get introduced to Jim's wife, who had yet to make eye contact with me.  Or perhaps I could meet the older lady who was still sitting at the dinner table.  Perhaps she was his mom?  Her mom?  A neighbor?  The cleaning lady?

While I pondered these things, Jim had rushed away to subdue the wrath of what appeared to be the oldest boy (perhaps six years of age) who had proceeded to lay siege to a stray meatball that had escaped his dinner plate.  It appeared to be seeking refuge on the nearby carpet to no avail.

After approximately two hundred and thirty seven painstakingly slow seconds, Jim's wife looked up as if noticing me for the first time.  "Please, sit down!  My name is Suzanne!  I'm sorry for the mess."  I breathed a sigh of relief and found a seat at the table, opposite the older lady and next to a baby who was still sucking on some spaghetti strands.  In retrospect, that was a poor decision.

Jim rushed by with paper towels and a bottle of something called "Stain-Out."

The older lady began to introduce herself, but I didn’t catch her name because the middle child had begun screaming that she wanted dessert.  Now I'm no lip-reader, but I thought that the lady had said, "Betty".  So I took a chance and said, "Nice to meet you, Betty!"

No negative reaction.  Good!  (I hate mixing up names!)

Finally both Jim and Suzanne were done cleaning up and they sat on either side of me.  "So tell us about what you’re doing, Tom," said Jim.  At least that's what I pictured him saying, for I couldn't actually hear over the little girl who hadn't ceased yelling for cookies.

Surprisingly, things seemed to calm down as I began relating to them my testimony.  In fact, I was perhaps moments away from finishing my story when Betty suddenly stood up.  I was under the impression that something important must have happened, but when nothing was said or done by Jim or Suzanne, I continued.  Betty kept standing.

I then asked Jim and Suzanne for their testimonies, and that's when Betty began heading for the door saying, "I’m going to the supermarket.  Be back soon."

The next twenty minutes went relatively well, considering.  The girl kept yelling for some time, but eventually found a Barbie to put in her mouth.  (The silence was deafening.)  The young Meatball Gladiator appeared to be falling asleep next to his prey, and the baby was murmuring while still sucking on spaghetti. 

And then it happened.

"One of the things that I personally find most exciting about the ministry is our interest in shar-"  I never finished my sentence.  Rather, all I heard was a loud crash as I looked over just in time for the baby's entire bowl of sauce-covered pasta to land everywhere between my eyebrows and my khakis.

(If you’ve never had tomato sauce in your eye before, I highly recommend it.  It’s quite the rush.)

As best I could tell, the baby, in a fit of rage rivaled only by his older brother’s meatball conquests, had smashed his hand down with all his might onto the side of his bowl. Consequently the laws of physics took over and I ended up covered in dinner.

Jim offered me a napkin.

I asked for the bathroom and cleaned up a bit, all the while wondering if I could fit through the tiny bathroom window to escape unnoticed.  For the few minutes I was in that little room, I prayed prayers for help like I’d never prayed before.

I came back out to find Betty back at the table.  Suzanne said something to her, calling her "mom".  Well that clears up that question.

So to make a long story ever-so-slightly shorter, I finished the presentation.

"So would you be willing to prayerfully consider joining my support team at $100 per month?"  

I waited.  Jim and Suzanne looked at each other, then back at me.  I felt spaghetti sauce in my ear.

"We'll have to think and pray about that."

"Great! I certainly appreci-"

Suddenly Betty chimes in: "One hundred a month?  That seems reasonable!  I'd like to do that."

I barely knew what to say.  She had missed most of my presentation - including the unprecedented Pasta Olympics in which the youngest had won the gold - and she wants to support me?  "Awesome!  Praise God!  Thanks so much, Betty!"

I handed out giving cards, prayed with them, thanked them for their time, headed home, and took a shower.

Jim and Suzanne never did end up supporting me financially, but Betty did.  About two weeks later I received her giving card in the mail.

Betty's name was Diane.