I don't know if I really believed this at first, but I have come to realize that we are in the thick of ministry, right now. Do we have a lot to learn? Well yeah, probably almost everything to learn. Do we mess up and get the wrong perspective sometimes? Yes, at least every other day. But the awesome thing is... God is showing himself faithful, not only by slowly providing the financial and prayer partners we need, but also by refining us (in many, and at times, challenging ways). Christ is teaching us to persevere.
One of the tools that time and time again has brought us both back to the proper perspective is a tiny book called The spirituality of fundraising by Henri Nouwen. It is a great resource for people who raise funds for ministry and for people who give (or don't give) towards ministry.
In the book, Nouwen says:
"Fund-raising as ministry is grounded in prayer and undertaken in gratitude... In prayer we slowly experience a reorientation of all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves and others... Gratitude releases us from the bonds of obligation and prepares us to offer ourselves freely and fully for the work of the kingdom."
And this is all we want... to offer ourselves freely and fully for the work of the kingdom, both now in striving to get to the field, and once we get there.
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