What to do?

*Some of you might receive the following post in an email -  maybe multiple times (sorry) - but we wanted as many people to see this as possible, and don't have access to everybody's email. Please read this and consider it. If you have any questions or would like to respond, feel free to email or Facebook message Erinn or me. Thanks.

Most of you know that we have been living in Nicaragua since July as independent missionaries. We want to sincerely thank you for praying for us during this time. So far, God has answered and made it an amazing experience. It is great to be a part of His work here.  When I say that we have come as “independent missionaries,” I mean that we did not go through a specific organization or raise support. 

So, the time is coming where we have to make a decision about our time here in Nicaragua. We feel that over a commitment of another year or two, we can really help accomplish some amazing things. In just six months, in addition to Erinn’s teaching at the Christian school, we have worked regularly with children’s feeding programs and worship, a Bible study and feeding program in the dump, Bible-based summer camp-type getaways for kids from various Nicaraguan dumps, youth group leadership and activities, and sports ministry activities like running and fitness groups. We will also be hosting mission teams this spring and summer.

What we are asking from you is to help us in this decision and our planning for the future. The number one thing necessary for us to stay in Nicaragua is financial support for ministry. Aside from raising some funds to provide a van for Campo Alegria, we did not raise any financial support for our living expenses or ministry this past year. We have been making ends meet with freelance educational writing, which has really put an extra burden on Erinn, since she is both teaching a couple of classes at Nicaragua Christian Academy and doing the majority of the freelance work. She just happens to be the more employable of the two of us in the freelance market with her math background, creating a large imbalance in the family workload.

In order to create more focus in how and where we serve, we have begun to talk with a couple of different organizations to partner with if we stay in Nicaragua. One organization, for example, is a large organization focused on sports ministry, while another is a mission organization that does outreach through a variety of programs. The less we have to freelance, the more we would be able to commit fully to this sort of ministry. This is where we need your help.

We are not asking for an all-out commitment right now. What we are asking from you is to pray about and give us an honest answer to two questions: 1) Would you be willing to provide financial support for ministry in Nicaragua on a monthly basis? 2) If you have a number in mind, could you include it in your response. We are mainly looking for an idea as to our possibilities for the future. The answers to these questions would help us tremendously in knowing what resources we will have going forward and if we will be able to continue with ministry here in Nicaragua. Please keep us in your prayers as this unfolds and a decision becomes clear. Thanks so much!