By Jay Gary;
© World Christian Magazine reprinted by permission from the Caleb Project
www.calebproject.org
© 2002 Campus Crusade for Christ MidSouth Region

". . .The three-and-a-half hour flight from Los Angeles to Minneapolis crept by slowly. Every minute seemed to produce a new anxiety. I was going home to ask people to financially support my new ministry.

"...Three weeks had passed since my parents greeted me at the Minneapolis airport. While waiting to board my return flight, I stood staring blankly out the lobby window. My heart didn't know quite how to feel. I was stunned, yet relieved. Although I survived scheduled breakfasts, lunches, and numerous dinners, late night coffee gatherings, and presentations in church services, I had secured no pledges of financial support. Was there a lesson to be learned? Was this a testing of my faith? All my predictions of the people "most likely to support me" had crumbled. I boarded the plane with $2 in my name, discouraged and wondering how God would provide. I decided to spend the money on headphones to watch the in-flight movie.

"...Back in Los Angeles, I waited nervously. In my mind, I raked through the trip's events, wondering if my whole game plan of appointments and presentations had been a flop. Did I miss anyone I should've talked to? Was I too pushy? Did people understand my ministry?

"Three weeks later, I got a letter from a friend I had run into at the Minneapolis airport. It was my first support pledge and check. He was raising support to go to Africa as a missionary pilot. I hadn't shared much about my ministry in our conversation at the airport, and I certainly didn't expect money from a fellow support-raiser. It was obvious that God--not my support-raising efforts--was responsible for this money.

"I'm currently rounding into my second year of living on support. I'll admit it's a faith-stretching experience. As I look at my card file of financial supporters, I see that they are fewer than I expected. Yet as I reflect over the past months, the amount of money that's come from surprise donors amazes me. Again, my predictions of where my support will come from crumble and God's faithfulness to provide continues."

Bonnie Bishop wrote this account of her own journey. While everyone's story is different, Bonnie's experience is not unlike many others in this venture of raising support.