Monday, March 14, 2011

Some Plans/Ideas

So, since my breakdown in my cabin, I've been doing fine. I bounce back pretty quickly. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do, and I still feel a little lost, but I'm not worried about it now. I've got a few ideas and things that I think might work, but mostly I'm waiting on the Lord to direct me and praying that He guide me in the plan that He has to provide for me.

Idea 1: Work
When reading through the epistles of Paul, I found something that he says in several of them. While he was planting and then growing the churches in several different cities, he worked among them so that he didn't become a burden for them. (II Thessalonians 2:9) 

So, what entered my mind here is that it might be better for me to find some work down there with which I could help to support myself. I talked to Shari, and she said as an English teacher, I would make about $300/month, which is not enough by my estimation. That would probably barely cover living expenses, and I wouldn't have enough left over to do any actual mission work, so I'd still need support from individuals or a church.

Idea 2: Other Church(es)
My initial plan was to go to Grace to get some funding, and also ask for friends and family members to help me out, and that would have probably been the easiest way to go. But I always tell people that nothing easy is worth doing, so maybe I should listen to myself. :) So, I'm thinking of approaching some other churches for support.

Perhaps the church my dad grew up in where much of my extended family goes and my mom works might be willing to help, but I have a feeling they have some policies in place that might be similar to Grace that would prevent me from being supported there.

There's also the church I attend now. I don't have many connections, and have only been attending for a couple of years, and not very frequently because I work a lot of weekends. They're really into missions and outreach, so it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Idea 3: Grace
I'm still really set on working with Grace, because I've gone there my whole life. So, I'm thinking if I did get under a mission board somehow, and got my own funding from friends and family, they might act as a funnel for funds for me, accepting donations on my behalf and forwarding them to me. This is something my dad is willing to do for me, but I'd rather go through a church so supporters can get tax deductions, and it's way more legit that way, people won't feel like they're funding my hanging out in Honduras when it's going through a church. There's more accountability, I guess, is what I'm saying. And I'd prefer that.

Idea 4: Win the Lotto
Ok, so I'm not serious about this one, and have never played the lotto in my life, but it's something I joke about frequently and so I thought I'd throw it in here anyway.

Idea 5: Work Online
I've found a few websites where I can work online, and make some money, but most of them take a lot of time for not a lot of pay, and are more like paid boredom busters, where I find answers to questions, or locate restaurant information on web pages.

I've also found a couple of freelance sites, where I can try to find work as a freelancer. I've "applied" for a couple of the writing jobs there that I thought I could do, but I'm competing against people who have masters in English and have made thousands on there, and have a high standing on the website, and pay to have their offers on the jobs put higher on the list. So, I haven't had any luck there yet. It's hard to break onto the scene of something like that when my resume is basically "I like to write, I'm good at it, and I've got good grammar, but I've never been published." People don't generally get too excited about someone like that.

Anyway, if I get more diligent and look at some other sites and try looking into some other ideas from the "101 ways to make money online" article I found, maybe I'll find something where I can actually make some money to where I can support myself, by making my own hours, and I won't have to worry about getting to/from a job there in Honduras, or making enough. It's something I'll have to look into some more for sure. If only Honduras had a craigslist...

So, that's about it for ideas. I guess my only real options are: work to fully support self, work to partially support self while accepting donations, and be fully supported by donations. More than likely, I'll have to get support, so I guess I'll go back to working on my support letter.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Results of the Mission Board Meeting

So, here's an update. Sorry about being so long in posting this. Things have been crazy, and I'm not yet in the habit of updating a blog.

I got in contact with the mission board at my church, asking for support, and they had me submit information: my calling, the ministry I would do, and whatever else I thought I should include, like a resume. So, I typed up a 6-page paper that covered my spiritual journey, my current calling, any my job and volunteer history. I had one of the full-time staff members here edit it for me, which she did an excellent job on, and sent it to them. This was the beginning of February. I got an email in return saying that they'd be discussing me "later this month."


So, at the end of February when I still hadn't heard back from them, I sent the head of the board an email asking when they were meeting, to make sure I hadn't been forgotten. Then, I went into one of the worst weekends I'd had in a long time. Friday was just stressful in general because I had way more going on than normal, and therefore had no time to relax, and I got several things dumped on me at the last minute. Then I crashed my car into a snowbank, and that's when I started crying. :)

On Saturday evening, I was watching the movie with my cabin of campers that I was counseling for the weekend, and I got a call. Although I didn't have the number in my phone, I knew that I was supposed to know it, so I hurried back into the kitchen to answer it. It was the head of the mission board, telling me that they weren't able to support me.

There were a couple reasons for this. The main one is simply that they have a policy that anyone they support must be under a mission board somewhere. Also, they don't have much room in the budget, and aren't looking to do any mission work in Honduras. I thanked him for his time and for looking at me, and he was very encouraging, reminding me that God's will happens no matter what, and that he'd keep me in his prayers. I thought I was ok, because I saw it as no big deal. Then I hung up the phone and started crying.

I pulled myself together quickly and returned to my cabin, looking after my 11 girls. That night, in the darkness and silence, all my fears crashed down, and I wept quietly on my bunk, careful to not alert any of the girls that I was crying. I felt lost, and no longer knew what I was supposed to do. Eventually, my exhaustion took over and I fell asleep.