Dear Friends & Family,
It’s mid-July and we just arrived back in the U.S. Behind us is a language-school course and a time of adjustment to our new home in El Alto. Ahead is our North American staff retreat in Omaha (10 days) then 3 weeks of traveling and sharing with friends, families, and churches. The theme of our staff retreat is based around a book by a leader in the new monasticism movement, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, The Wisdom of Stability: Rooting Faith in a Mobile Culture. As an organization, we have seen a lot of staff turnover the last year or two. We are hoping that this conversation will bear fruit as we seek to build communities of hope in some unstable and ever-changing environments.
We would also like to share about our current fund-raising situation. In most missions, folks often spend a good year or two (or more) raising support for their long-term needs. As you know, we moved pretty quickly as soon as we were approved as staff with Word Made Flesh, heading to Bolivia within a matter of months. Perhaps as a result, while we raised enough to cover our initial expenses, we have now found that our monthly donations are not meeting our financial obligations.
WMF has crafted a series of fund-raising principles largely influenced by the late Dutch priest Henri Nouwen. As a community we reject mainstream fund-raising methods that objectify mass-mail donors as little more than debit accounts to be emotionally manipulated. We have pledged not to horde unnecessary funds in times of plenty, and at the same time not live from crisis-to-crisis for fear of ever talking about money. Some of us have said that “we beg so that our friends, the poor, don’t have to.” But even that is a bit of a misstatement, as we do not see ourselves as desperate as the beggars we encounter each day on the street. When we are trying to simply live faithfully to God’s call to serve among the poor, we feel free to have conversations about how we relate to our wealth. Jesus himself, in a poor agricultural society, constantly invited us to consider the economic implications of His Kingdom. Whether in giving or receiving, we affirm that all of what we have is a gift of God that only temporarily flows through our hands.
That said, we do want you to know that our pledged monthly commitments are not keeping up with our needs, and our current account balance is about empty. We would ask if you could prayerfully consider becoming a monthly supporter, increasing your commitment, or making a one-time donation. (Online gifts can be made here, mailing options are attached to this e-mail, and other options are here). Also, if you belong to a church that supports individual missionaries, we would love to explore a partnership at a community-level. We know many, many great organizations doing good work in the world – translating Bibles, digging wells for our 1 billion brothers and sisters without clean water, and feeding the hungry next door. We ask that you would pray to see if our ministry could be a partnership for you that would be a blessing to everyone involved. And no matter what, we want you to know that we cherish our relationship with you and ask that you would pray for us and for La Casa de Esperanza (The House of Hope) in Bolivia. We also love receiving updates from home about what is going on in your life.
On a cultural note, a new pandemic has swept through Latin America as it seems to do every four years – World Cup fever! Uruguay was the best Latino fútbol (soccer) team this year, making it to the semifinals. With them were Germany, Spain, and The Netherlands. As I write, I’m anticipating watching the third place game between Germany & Uruguay with my Salvadoran neighbor back in Crawfordsville. I’m a bit conflicted, as I must choose between supporting my new continent or my ancestral homeland. Either way, it has been great getting to know a new sport, and it’s an instant conversation starter with any taxi driver or street vendor. There doesn’t seem to be a single radio or television in Bolivia not tuned to the World Cup when there is a game on. We were just happy that no one was playing as our plane was taking off from El Alto!
Thoughts for prayer:
*The continued development of our Suti Sana business/therapy initiative, in both our product line and in the women’s lives.
*Continued language & cultural study as we return to our new life in El Alto August 17.
La Paz del Señor sea con ustedes (The Peace of the Lord be with you)
– Adam (and Becky)