Category Archives: 2015 News

Seasons, Change and Exciting News

Room2
The kitchen, dresser, office part of my room

I sit inside a warm room and hear the rain falling – a gentle, steady rain that has gone on for two days and promises to continue through today. I am thankful to be in a warm, dry place since the rain is not only wet, but is bringing cold weather with it. The season is changing.

Co BP Staff
Charlie, our Director of Prayer, me and Teresa who collects the Feature Stories for By Prayer.

I also can sense there is a change in the season in my life. These past six months have been a season of movement and travel. I packed up all my things and moved from Senegal after five years there with Corey and Katie to an unknown future in the USA. Upon arrival at SIM USA I discovered God had gone before me and prepared a job for me orchestrating the collection and distribution of the prayers of his people through By Prayer, SIM’s bimonthly prayer calendar.

Fr AD1August through October I traveled around the USA and to Abu Dhabi to visit with many of you, informing you of God’s plan for me for this season and hearing how God has been moving and acting in your lives as well.

Much of what I heard encouraged me, but I was also saddened to hear of the hardships many of you endure: sickness, loss of work, downsizing to smaller homes due to lack of income, years of static salaries in the face of constant inflation, increased expenses due to children attending college – and on it goes. Life can be hard, and we can become discouraged. It is when we find ourselves discouraged that we must adjust our viewpoint and look to God to clear our vision.

At just the right time, in my devotional time, God changed my outlook as I read about the Macedonian church in 2 Corinthians 8:1-9:

And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

 

I see now how I have discouraged some of you, and I see how some of you encouraged me. As I met with you, there were some I discouraged from supporting me financially by saying I understood you had such a small income you couldn’t afford to support me. How faithless I was! Please, forgive me from robbing you of the privilege of giving; and robbing myself of the blessing of receiving your sacrifice of partnership in service. There were others I visited whose poverty of worldly goods was unnoticeable because of the overflow of godly joy in life and the blessings they enjoyed. Their spontaneous generosity was displayed in their eagerness to partner with me financially, giving a sacrificially generous promise of support. I see how poor I displayed myself to be! I find I have been living in an attitude of poverty, allowing Satan to rob me of the certainty of God’s provision for my life.

As always, it was at this low point that God surprised me with an outpouring of blessing! Through the obedient generosity of some caring donors and SIM missionaries, new or increased gifts for support given through February 29, 2016 will be matched. This means all new or increased gifts that are deposited to my SUPPORT account between now and the end of February will be matched with an equal gift. If you have promised to support me, but haven’t done so yet, this will be a great time to start your gift! It is also a great time to share any end-of-year funds you have been praying over how to use. By giving in this time frame, every dollar you give will be doubled by this generous matching fund! Please prayerfully read the letter from our SIM USA director regarding these matching funds.

This is an opportune time to join financially in this ministry, knowing your gift will be doubled! Please know that ALL gifts, regardless of the size will be precious in my eyes and the eyes of God as they are given with a grateful and generous heart. Becoming a financial partner helps put action to your prayers and forges a stronger link of connection in our ministry team. The tangible evidence testifies every month as I receive your financial as well as prayer support to help sustain me in God’s work.

To view more pictures click here.

The letter from
Bruce Johnson,
President
SIM USA

End of my August Road Trip

I am back from my trip!
I drove an average of
5.5 hours between stops for a total of
3,904 miles, used
105 gallons of gasoline in
41 days, stayed in
13 different places with friends and visited one on one with over
60 individuals – friends old and new.
I showed my presentation countless times and handed out uncounted copies of By Prayer and other SIM information and literature, and met with and prayed with more people than I can remember.

I have been back to work three days – In time to help Pat read over the final draft of By Prayer and send it off to the proof readers.  As an answer to prayer, a couple at the SIM USA office invited me to stay in their extra bedroom with private bath and personal entrance for September.  I have been busy trying to sort through belongings I brought from storage in Connecticut and figuring out how to make this lovely spot home for now.  These next few weeks Pat and I will work on making sure I have all the By Prayer resources and procedures at my finger tips so I can do what is needed when she is gone on October first.  There is also a possibility I will travel to Abu Dhabi in October. (Please pray about those possible plans!)

God so blessed me with safety on my journey, and so many people are praying (some even said they would support my new venture!) that I still feel confident that this work is His next step for me.  Because of this, I am working at SIM USA with Pat, trusting that God will supply my needed additional $1800 per month so I can fully assume the editorship of By Prayer soon.

In reviewing my financial support record since I joined SIM in 2010 I am amazed at God’s provision through the faithfulness of so many of you in supporting me with your financial blessings!  Several years I had a surplus of funding.  However, the recorded giving in 2015 has dropped significantly so the surplus I had at the beginning of the year will be gone before the end of the year.  I urgently need financial partners!  The calendar says September is half over!  That leaves only 15 more days in September for supporters to indicate their promises of financial partnership for the next two years.  Some of you have indicated your willingness to support me, but I need to know before the end of September how much you plan to contribute and when you plan to begin your contributions.  I need more people to hear and answer God’s call to this ministry of financial support to enable me to edit By Prayer.  Will you please take a moment to let me know your plans?

To support me by sending in a check by mail, either monthly or a onetime contribution download the form, print and fill it in and send to the address on the form.
 BY CHECK

To support me by sending an electronic contribution, click on the link and complete the form.
ELECTRONICALLY

Whether you send a check or contribute electronically, please reply to this email so I can keep track of the status of my financial support.

To read a letter from Charlie Thorsen, Director of Prayer & Celebration, my immediate boss and supervisor   CLICK HERE.

To watch the video that tells about the prayer ministry at SIM USA and describes the job I will do click on the link.  Please share this video with anyone you think would like to be informed about and join this vital ministry!
VIDEO

Praise and prayers

  • Praise for a successful 4000 mile journey filled with good visits with folks, great places to stay, opportunities to share about the ministry as well as safety and alertness in driving.
  • Praise for a lovely place to live while I wait for support to come in.
  • Plead for the support to come in so I can continue in this important work equipping the saints to pray.
  • Pray that God will move many to join my financial team.  Please prayerfully consider if God is leading you to participate in this financial faith journey.
  • Pray for wisdom and discernment as I explore the possibility of traveling to Abu Dhabi.
  • Pray for patience and calm for me as I wait for God to move; discernment to see where he is leading, clarity to see God’s direction and humility to obey.

Details of Life in the USA

As you already know, although I have completed my ministry assignment in Senegal, I am continuing to serve with SIM and am relocating to Charlotte to work in the home office. I am excited about the opportunity to continue to serve through SIM.

Upon my arrival in the SIM USA office I was asked to take on the role of Editor for By Prayer, a newsletter that goes out bimonthly with requests from missionaries all over the world. This has been an urgent need because the current Editor is retiring in October. The current Editor described the job this way:

The Editor coordinates the production schedule between:

  • -two on-site contributing editors (for a Cover Story, and five Regional Ministry Stories)
  • -51 contributing editors around the world (and they change fairly frequently, especially at this time of year).
  • -several proofreaders here (in Charlotte, NC) and in Florida-local
  • -Media people who prepare print-ready documents, and others who mail out bulk and overseas hard copies

SIM understands the importance of prayer and I am looking forward to being able to help facilitate prayer support in this way for the 800 missionaries SIM USA has serving on the field and in the USA.

In order to get a place to live and start working with this ministry, I must have 100% of my support promised. The additional amount I need to meet this goal is $1,800 per month plus $5,000 in initial setup costs. Since the outgoing Editor is retiring in October, I need to have all my support promised before I can start working in September so we can have a smooth transition. Currently I am officially on Home Assignment in order to increase my support base.

You can help in these ways:

  1. Pray for more prayer partners and financial team members so the needed support will come.
  2. Prayerfully consider joining my financial team, increasing your support or making a one-time contribution to my startup costs.
  3. Inquire as to whether your church would support me in their missions’ budget.
  4. Set up an appointment for me to meet with friends you think may be interested in joining this ministry adventure as I travel from North Carolina to Connecticut and back in August.
  5. Forward my prayer letter to friends and family with whom you would like to share this ministry.
  6. Consider joining me in fasting on Wednesdays for this need.
  7. Pray some more!

I want to visit with as many of you as I can when I drive from North Carolina to Connecticut and back in August. In the coming weeks I will be contacting many of you. Please help me by being prepared with some dates/times in August when you would be available for us to get together.   If your church or friends are interested in hearing about my ministry I would be happy to share with them. If you have any other ideas of ways I could connect with people, share about what God is doing in the SIM USA Office and around the world, and encourage the church’s missions vision, please let me know. I would love to help and get involved in any way you can think of while I am with you.

Questions you may have:

  • Since you are going to live in the USA why are you still asking for support? The dedicated people who work in the SIM USA office are, for the most part, supported missionaries who have served on the foreign field. Having supported staff reduces the expense for the mission and emphasizes the fact that these people are STILL missionaries! The role of a missionary in the USA office is a vital one of support for those on the foreign field. Even though I have moved from Senegal to the USA, I am in the same role I have been in for the last five years – that of support to other missionaries! In Senegal I was supporting two missionaries; in the SIM USA office I will be supporting 800 missionaries. In order to accomplish this larger, wide reaching ministry, I need your prayer and financial support!
  • Since you are going to live in the USA why are you asking for MORE support? The cost of living in Senegal is much lower than in the USA. For instance, rent for the large four-bedroom, four-bath house with extended grounds (our team-mate’s home I was using) was $385 per month; rent for a one or two bedroom apartment in the USA is two to three times that amount. It costs more to live in the USA – but the ministry is just as vital a need!
  • Since you are 67, why don’t you just draw Social Security and pension monies? Because I spent much of my adult life as a stay-at-home mother, and the last 15 years in ministry, my retirement income is not large. I want to wait until I turn 70 to begin Social Security or pension payments to maximize my long term retirement income.
  • What will happen to By Prayer if you don’t get the required support? I really do not know. I do know if the support doesn’t come in, I will not be able to take on this ministry. The current Editor and her husband have already delayed their retirement and cannot prolong their time here. There are no other people in the SIM USA office with the time to take on this vital job, and without an editor for By Prayer, “it simply can’t be done, and no one would know how to pray for the 51 countries we highlight!” (quote from outgoing editor)
  • What will YOU do if the support doesn’t come in?  I am firmly convinced this is God’s plan for me and anticipate God’s people will participate in this Adventure so I haven’t seriously considered other options.

Praises from my time here at SIM USA:

  • I have gotten over disorientation and feel more ‘together’ here.
  • I am enjoying having a lovely little car to drive whenever and wherever I want to go. I have learned enough to not have to clutch my GPS constantly and have gone to the closest shopping area and back without having to use
    DSCN00391
    “My” camper with my little car parked behind.

    it!

  • I have moved to a lovely camper home on the SIM USA grounds. It was purchased to house the quarantined Ebola missionaries and remains to house folks like me. I will be able to stay in it for the month of July.
  • I have met with the current By Prayer Editor and we have gone over some of the basic processes of producing this vital guide for prayers for our missionaries. I think I might understand a few bits of it, too!
  • My broken phone has finally been replaced!

 Prayers for Looking Ahead:

  • Pray that my support team will grow and the needed $5,000 start up costs and $1,800 per month will come in quickly.
  • Pray for my travel plans to be divinely orchestrated and I would meet with many new support team members.
  • Pray that I will grasp all the scheduling and arranging details for this vital By Prayer ministry.

June Journey

I have arrived in the USA! Bob from the SIM USA Hospitality Team picked me up at the airport, and helped me get everything into a lovely room at the SIM Guest House. Bob also arranged a car I could drive. When the car broke down on Saturday, he picked me up, made arrangements for the car to be fixed, brought me back to SIM and gave me a different vehicle to drive. Bob has a vital ministry of service I deeply appreciate!

SIM USA coworkers from a variety of departments
SIM USA coworkers from a variety of departments

On Thursday I met with Sandy and Kim to review the last three years and cheer me on as I face a big transition. Sandy is my contact for helping me figure out all the ins and outs of the office. I also met with several department leaders to discuss different aspects of ministry opportunities. These people have an important ministry of organization to help things run smoothly for us all.

SIM is an organization with a clear vision and understanding of the foundational importance of prayer to everything that is done. The most pressing need at SIM USA right now is for an editor for By Prayer, the bimonthly publication of prayer needs from missionaries serving all over the world. For each issue over sixty prayer requests are included from every mission office and organized into a systemic calendar for daily prayer. The editor solicits these prayer requests, organizes and arranges them, including pictures and short stories of each of the five major service areas worldwide. This ministry is one of the key links that holds SIM USA together as a praying community around the world.

Other areas of need include updating database information for supporting churches (as I did in 2012) and other administrative tasks for which the current office staff doesn’t have time.

Randy prepares the meals for meetings at the SIM USA office
Randy prepares the meals for meetings at the SIM USA office

Frequently meetings are held at the office where lunch and dinner are served, and extra staff are needed to help with preparation and clean up. These are some of the ‘invisible’ areas of service that make a significant difference in how smoothly the entire mission operates.

I am excited about these opportunities to serve, and my potential coworkers are anxious for me to start work! I’m looking forward to this support role that helps Corey and Katie and all our field missionaries. Because SIM is a mission that operates on faith and prayer, all the missionaries on staff at the SIM USA office continue on support. Missionaries who have formerly served overseas can empathetically relate to those on the field.

I’m so thankful for every one of you who have partnered with me for three to five years to pray and encourage me and support me with finances. When you made your commitment, it was for that limited time frame.

Family together at the villa where we vacationed
Family together at the villa where we vacationed

I know some who have supported me in the past may not be able to continue. For others, would you prayerfully consider whether you could continue to partner with me in this new ministry of service to which God has directed me?

My support requirement is increasing somewhat because of the cost of living in the USA. It would help me greatly if you could let me know soon if you can continue to be part of my prayer and support team. In order for me to serve on this vital home team I am required to have assurance of my complete support base.

Thank you all again for making these past years in Senegal teaching my grandchildren possible. I couldn’t have done it without you! I look forward to partnering together in this new adventure of service on the home front!

Prayers and Praises

  • I arrived safely in the USA with luggage and my goods are in transit to the USA
  • I have a new phone number: 980-474-5800! If you are in the USA give me a call!
  • I have purchased a lovely 2005 Toyota Corolla with low mileage.
  • The SIM USA office and I have agreed on initial parameters for work for me to do.
  • I am still looking for a home, so please pray for just the right place.
  • Pray that my support will come in so I can start work! I need to be at full support in order to begin work!

Click here for pictures of my last days in Senegal and the beautiful SIM USA office and team mates.

To join me in financial support click here.

To continue your prayer and/or financial support, please let me know with a reply email.

If you are in Abu Dhabi without internet access you may still continue to drop your offering into the plate at worship service and Trish Tumilba-Sellers will collect it.