This particular story occurred early in my ministry – because God wanted to teach me about Him, money, and needs.
My family and I went on our first mission trip in May of 1996. God changed our lives that week. I came back to work on Monday following that trip, gave my two-week notice, left Minnesota and went to El Paso on a three month short term mission trip. At the time, I had a wife, three young teens, a house, a job, a mortgage, and no savings. That impossible situation of quitting my job on the spur of the moment is explained in the “How We Became Missionaries Story” another story that will come soon (and you WILL enjoy reading it!).
One more thing I need to explain so you will appreciate what you are about to read. Many people carry credit cards for different reasons. I don’t. No, not even for emergencies. In 1986 I made a covenant with God that I would never again borrow money or have a credit card. The incredible story regarding that decision I’ll explain soon in the upcoming “The House Story”. Okay, now lets get back to the original story!
Because everything was so quick (leaving in two weeks, no prior notice), and we were the first family our church had sent to the mission field, the church decided they were going to support us 100%. They asked me how much money I needed. Now I was one of the “tithe and offering counters” at the church, and I sure didn’t want to take too much of God’s money. So I calculated an amount the best I could, to meet our needs for the summer. And off we went. To say the least, the summer was spectacular! God did wonderful things and thousands of Mexican people came to the Lord! Keeping track of our money that summer was easy, there was no money coming in to mess up my calculations, it just kept going out. Right near the end of the summer I came to the shocking realization that I did not have enough money to finish the summer and get back to Minnesota! I was short, $500!
I felt terrible! How could this happen? I tried so carefully to calculate exactly what we needed! A great planner I was, how did I mess this up? But, the church had made it clear to me that if I had any financial problems, to let them know. So I reluctantly called them and told them I was short of money. “How much do you need?” they asked. $500, I said. Their response was, “No problem!” And the next day they deposited $500 in my account. They loved us and were going to take care of us. So we returned back to Minnesota.
The following summer of 1997 we went again to El Paso to work with the Bearing Precious Seed ministry for three months. This time the church agreed to give us 50% of our support and we raised the other 50%. Now, I remembered the first summer. I did not want to run short of money and have to call the church for help, again. So I was very careful in calculating how much money I needed, and while raising support, I even tried to raise a little more money than I needed.
Off again we went to El Paso, and God again gave us another unbelievable summer of His miracles and salvations! It was wonderful!
Just before the last trip of the summer, I checked my finances. I could not believe what I found! I did not have enough money to finish the summer and get home! I was short $500 AGAIN!! I was sick! I figured the church would think, “Every time we send this clown to the mission field he always asks for more money because he can’t take care of what we give him!” I thought to myself, “How did this happen? Where did the money go?” We didn’t go out to eat or do things just to blow money, so I went back over my finances to see what in the world had transpired. I found two specific issues that took the money. One was a car problem, and the other was a medical problem. Now, if I had spent money foolishly like buying a bunch of Tommy Hilfiger shirts or something, I deserved to face the music. But these two things were outside of my control…and they were two things that I had no choice but to deal with.
So I made a decision right there. I would not go to the church. I was going to go to God with it. So I went into my prayer closet and prayed (my family was not aware there was a problem). My prayer was, “Lord, I know this is what you want me to do, and I know this is where you want me to be. But Lord, I cannot handle the problem of the money. I don’t know how you are going to solve it, but I am giving it to you. Thank you Lord, for what you are going to do! Amen.” Wow! I walked out of that prayer closet and felt like the world had been lifted off my shoulders! I had truly given that burden to the Lord.
We went on the last mission trip and had a wonderful week! We got back three days before we were to leave for Minnesota. The first thing that happened was the BPS secretary handed me a business size envelope that had just came to me in the mail. The only thing on the return address was a PO Box in Minnesota. To this day, I still don’t know who sent it to me. The only thing inside the envelope was a cashier’s check, made out to me, for $500! Glory to God, was I excited! I prayed, God answered, and the problem was solved! I told my family and we were all rejoicing! God is so good!
The next day, a guy came walking up to me waving a check and saying, “God has led me to give you this!” I said, “Wait! You don’t have to do this, God did a miracle and…”. He cut me off, saying, “When God tells me to do something, I do it! And if I don’t, I get in trouble with God! Do you want me to get in trouble with God?! I said, “Well, no…” And he shoved the check in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked off. The check was for another $500! Glory to God – He blesses abundantly!
The next day, the day before we were to leave, another guy walked up to me waving an envelope and said, “God has led me to give you this!” I said, “Wait! You don’t have to do this, God…” He cut me off, saying, “Hold it! When God tells me to do something, I do it!” He then shoved the envelope into my shirt pocket and walked off. Inside that envelope was $400 in cash. Glory to God – He blesses to overflowing!
God had a lesson here that even a blockhead like me could understand.
–The first summer, I needed $500, and I went to man. Man met the need.
–The second summer, I needed $500, and I went to God. And God met the need better than man ever could!
God made it very clear to me that when I had a need, I was to go to HIM. Not man.
God’s Point in this story: Being a lay person going to the mission field, God needed to give me training, and this was an important lesson – go to God with your needs, not man. It was interesting that God used the same amount, $500, both summers, to clearly demonstrate that He was the One training me. He made the comparison to show me that I could and should trust Him. And also at the end of the second summer, there were two very important things about the prayer I was praying. (1) I knew what I was doing there was pleasing to God. (2) The problem that occurred was not caused by me. There is more I have to say about this very important area, especially to new missionaries, and I’ll cover it later. God knew I needed to understand this kind of faith if I was going to survive the fires that Satan was going to make me walk through in my journey of following God.
God’s lessons were and always are, good…. because that’s what our Good God does!
Grandpa Jack's Place 