August 2007
Dear Friends and Family,
I am writing you this months letter with so much excitement and inspiration! We have just returned from the Word Made Flesh staff retreat in Nebraska, and it was amazing. It was such a great time of learning and fellowship, we feel like we have so much energy and have been so refreshed. It is amazing to touch base with those we will be working with, make plans and to almost be able to taste our future in Thailand. We are so excited because we feel as though we can see the finish line, which is actually just the starting line, this dream that has been cultivating in our hearts and minds for all these years is so close.
On the retreat I was reminded of some of the original thoughts and feelings that I had in Peru, when reading of the trade of young girls and women in to sexual slavery. There is a rage that burns, a righteous rage, how can people inflict such wounds onto Gods precious children and do it in the sight of God. There is an indignation that we should all feel the Gods precious children are taught lies about there worth, tricked into believeing there dignity is worth only a few dollars. And finally there is a responsibility that as Gods people we rise up and say this is not okay, and tell these women and children that they are precious and priceless and Gods creation, they have been made in the image of God their father.
We ask that you would commit to praying for these lives now, pray that God would pave the way and lead us to those he wishes for us to touch. Pray that God would give us the words to speak healing into their lives and lead them to the restorative relationship with their Father who can heal all wounds. We want to see amazing things happen over this next year and during our first years in Bangkok. If we all pray together we will see God work miracles in the lives of his creation.
Thankyou so much for all the ways that you our dear friends and family continue to support us!
Love
Amy Hupe
Moral Support and Communication Support
Moral and Communication support are essential to any missionary, and summed up means ways for us to know we are not in this alone. One of the most amazing feelings we had while at the retreat was being surrounded by a community who loves what we love.
This support is a calling, though through relationship we can all send emails saying hi to maintain contact there are those of you who have a gift, one couple we read about receives 40 to 50 support letters a month and reads everyone jotting down notes so when they respond they can do it personally, if this excites you rather than overwhelms you, this may a gift of yours. The Serving as Senders Book offers so many great suggestions in these areas that it would be great resource for anyone taking this role seriously. I can't possible go into all the suggestions, however the key to this sort of support is make it personal and creative. Communication is about remaining in relationship even though we will be far away. It is through remaining close that in a moment of need we will feel supported to reach out for help. In our first year in Thailand we will definitely be depending on you our Christian Family for support; we will be learning the language undoubtedly frustrated in this, caring for a child in new environment who will be entering those infamous two's, and we will be alone as we pioneer a new field. It is your moral support and words of encouragement, and prayers that will get us through this year.
The creative possibilities for this form of support are endless. A great suggestion is to involve a small group. This takes the burden off only your shoulders and involves your Christian community. A small group can take turns sending care packages, pray regularly, write letters or emails, and share with us what your group is learning. One church had a table where church members could read updates on the missionaries and pickup preaddressed letters to write and send to the missionaries, these missionaries in a 6 week period went only 3 days without a letter of encouragement.
This moral support and communication support will be like bread and water for our emotional and spiritual body. However there is another reason it is imperative that people dig and get their hands and feet dirty, shouldering the burden with us. It is through our demonstration of love for each other as Christians that those who need love and who have been wounded by evil in this world are drawn to our communities and ultimately drawn to Christ. It is our greatest hope that through our love for each other people will truly see Christ. Matthew 7:20 says that "you will know them by their fruit". Let our fruit be love and lets be known for how we care and minister to each other.