It’s time to pay the monthly bills. Pick up a pen, grab the checkbook, and cross them off the list. At the same time, send off a few donations to various good causes. Then get back to life until next month’s bills come due.

Sound like fun? Hopefully not. Sound familiar? Maybe. Most of us have probably approached giving as a duty at some point. When that happens, it’s time to sit back and evaluate how and why we give.
As the missions agency for Conservative Mennonite Conference, Rosedale Mennonite Missions is supported for the most part by donors. We recently talked to a few of them about why and how they contribute. We hope their stories (told anonymously) will inspire you to think about giving in a fresh way, to ponder why you give, and to approach it creatively as more than a duty.

Gifts of Time
Missions work is in itself a gift of time, so we could include countless stories of mission workers. But many others, not called to overseas missions, have given time to RMM. Recently during the renovation of the Rosedale International Center, hundreds of volunteers—individuals and church groups—spent thousands of hours helping the contractors. One of them was a semi-retired painter who traveled to Columbus and gave seven months of his life working with another volunteer to paint the interior of the 33,000-square-foot building. Together they rolled and brushed hundreds of gallons of paint in dorms, hallways and classrooms. They also helped supervise volunteer groups who were painting. “I guess you’d call it a challenge. I like challenges in my life,” he said. He pointed to his experience as a time of spiritual growth and making new friendships.

So he decided that for the next year, he wouldn’t upgrade any farm equipment or replace it. He would make do and give the extra money away, and see how God blessed him. “It made me realize that money isn’t always the answer,” he said. “God has the ability to bless way beyond what we could imagine.”
In addition to growing crops, the farmer also raises chickens. One time, he decided to give whatever money he made on a chicken flock over a certain amount. He started to feel bad because it looked like it would be a poor flock, but he ended up making more than he ever had. He set the portion he would keep even lower on the next flock, and that one yielded even more profit.

Then God convicted him, he said, because he was just giving off the top. He felt that he should give all his profits from a flock. This was a struggle, because he was counting on that money to make up for the crops—the weather had been “dry as a bone.” But he did it. Soon afterward, they had what he called a “gorgeous rain.” “That year ended up one of the best crop years we’ve had,” he said. “I think it was that year I stopped worrying so much about when it got dry…I figured it’s God’s farm, he can take care of it.”

Reckless? “Sometimes I almost felt like I was being irresponsible, but I had to keep going back to ‘Are you going to be obedient, or are you going to do what you think other people would counsel you to do,” he said. “I’ve seen so many examples where God has blessed way beyond what I have ever expected. It’s been probably one of the most exciting parts of my faith.”

Many others do their giving faithfully on a monthly or yearly basis. One woman and her husband gave hundreds of dollars every month for years. “It wouldn’t have done anybody any good just sitting in the bank,” she said. “If we had the resources, the money to give, we felt like giving it was important to help others.”

One business owner in CMC gives on a quarterly basis. He and his wife look at their projected earnings at the beginning of the year and decide how much they are going to give. They don’t base it on a percentage, though. Instead, they try to give more every year, although he said that hasn’t always happened since the economic downturn. He said they started budgeting their giving this way out of a desire to make sure they were giving enough. “If you just do it on the fly, then often your giving is based on how you’re feeling at the moment,” he said, adding that a yearly evaluation also helps them make good decisions about where to send their money.

He pointed to the words of Solomon as a reason for not hoarding all the profits—“Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.”

“I’m sorry, but finances and increasing your wealth is empty,” he said. “There is the fulfillment in a job well done, we are to be stewards…but it’s much more exciting to me to see young people and others make decisions to serve the Lord and to go into missions. That to me is much more exciting than gaining a couple of extra percentage points on your bottom line.”

Gifts of Possessions
There is a hardware store not too far from RMM that has a pretty good deal available: when the maintenance staff need supplies, they can go to the store and pick them up for free. Bob Stauffer, RMM property manager, said they go to the store 2-3 times a year. “It enables us to do stuff that we would struggle with otherwise,” he said. On the last trip, he picked up a stove, a refrigerator, and a range for the Rosedale International Center, a value of several thousand dollars.

He said it is a strange feeling to load up a cart with free stuff, and that they do try to be careful not to take advantage of the store. “We can’t go there for everything.”

One of the owners of the store said they try to send money every month, but donating goods is easier for them than giving cash. “We think it’s money well spent,” she said. “To help other people, physically, spiritually, financially, that’s our goal.”

“This is for a good cause; you know that your money is put to good use,” she said. “We think they’re doing a great work.”

So if a hardware store owner donates appliances, what does a dairy farmer donate? A cow, which is exactly what one farmer gave to the SEND House in Columbus during a recent REACH training. The cow was no longer able to breed, so instead of selling it the farmer donated it. Unfortunately for the cow, it had become ground beef by the time it reached its destination, but this worked better for SEND Ministries. City officials frown on livestock and ground beef is a staple during training anyway.

The SEND House cook at that time (who asked to remain anonymous for this story) had been putting together a grocery list and was thinking about how much ground beef they used. She remembered hearing that someone had donated a cow in the past, and said—not very seriously—“God, we could really use a cow.”

A day or two later, the phone rang and it was for her. The woman calling asked if they could use a cow. The cook’s mouth dropped open. “I was just so excited and floored,” she said. “So many times I don’t ask God for the obvious needs.”

The farmer estimated that the beef was worth about $500-$600, counting the butchering. “It’s what God has given us,” he said. “Maybe we don’t have so much money to give, but what God has blessed us with, to pass that on increases the blessing.”

He said it was meaningful to give something that was valuable to him besides money. It helped him appreciate what God had given him. “I think of the good lesson too, to my own children,” he said. “To think that what we are working with every day can benefit other people, and that’s why God has in a sense entrusted it to us.”

“It was a huge blessing,” SEND Ministries director Todd Miller said. “We work diligently at keeping REACH costs down so that we can equip and send as many as possible. This gift of beef helped to greatly lower food costs.”

Not everyone raises chickens or cows. Not many people own a hardware store. And many can’t spare seven months of their time. But these stories show that giving doesn’t have to be routine. It can take many forms. And it can be part of life, instead of a box on a monthly checklist.

Missions offerings started small in CMC. In 1915, five years after the conference was founded, the fledgling conference was still exploring ways to go about missions. Although outreach was emphasized from the beginning, a formal missions agency was years away. So that year the offering was designated for “charitable purposes,” and came to a grand total of $44.

A few years later, there was an offering of $440 toward paying for a children’s home and establishing a new missions fund. Many years later, in 2010, our goal for Missions Day Offering is a little higher yet—$440,000.

If this figure seems high, it’s because it is nearly double the usual offering. In 2008, the Missions Day Offering came to $267,000, and in 2009 it was $237,500. But as we approach the next century of CMC missions, we are expanding, and that growth comes with a price tag.

Part of that price tag is paying for new programs and initiatives at the Rosedale International Center (RIC), our new training facility. We are excited about expanding REACH, bringing in more groups for City Challenge, and offering more training for missions workers.

Our goal for this year’s Missions Day Offering is to celebrate CMC’s 100th anniversary with a one-time landmark offering of $440,000 that will serve as a springboard for the next century. About half of the goal ($240,000) would go toward RMM’s general fund as usual. And anything we receive over that amount would go toward the new training and programs at the RIC.

Things have changed a lot since 1910. CMC has commissioned RMM as an agency with a clear vision for international church planting. That vision has been backed by a generous increase in support from the conference. That offering of $44 in 1915 would be about $950 in today’s value. The $440 donated in 1919 would be worth about $5,500. Today, we are blessed every year with offerings in the hundreds of thousands. We are grateful.

Click Here to Give to the Offering

I am sure most of you have been seeing and hearing disquieting news about Thailand the last few days. I wanted to write and let you know that I have been far from any demonstrations or danger, and am perfectly safe. My mission team is located in a province just south of Bangkok. Therefore, we have been spared most of the problems, although we are also under a state of emergency and a curfew for the next few days. The curfew was put in place as a measure to keep people safe and to try to prevent further looting and arson attempts. I have not heard anything new today from Bangkok, so it appears that most of the Red Shirt demonstrators that were behind this destruction have finally been caught or given up. I know most of you probably have questions about the political views that have sparked all these problems. I will not attempt to go into that because it is a very complicated issue. The main point is that there are very deep political divisions and incredible dissatisfaction among Thai people. Some of the main points of contention are corruption in the government, inequality between social/economic classes, and desires for democracy vs. allegiance to the monarchy. The current Prime Minister and Parliament have a plan to try to bring stability back to Thailand and then have new elections later this year. None of us are certain if they will be allowed to follow this plan or if more protests and unrest will be coming in the near future. My prayer is that God will use this situation to call Thai people to himself. That their eyes will be opened to their need for God in the midst of their distress and confusion. I pray also for wisdom to know how to respond and bring hope. Most of my friends and neighbors are embarrassed that Thai people have become so hateful and violent. They are searching for answers, and I pray that God will give me words of life and assurance for them.

God’s power can overwhelm demons, heal the sick, and transform lives in a moment. Many times it’s not that dramatic; it’s the quiet transformation of the everyday. But some members of the Zambia REACH team recently got the privilege of a front row seat for the more dramatic display of that power.

It started when two members of the team went to breakfast with a missionary couple. This couple was part of a team that was reaching out to some remote tribes, and they invited the REACHers to go along to a new village where a people called the Tonga lived. They were friendly to outsiders, but under a lot of superstition and spiritual darkness.

The two team members accepted the invitation and set out with two of the missionaries, Bob and Joe, and a local Christian named Friday. It wasn’t an easy trip. “There’s a definite reason this tribe (and hundreds of tribes like them) are unreached,” one of the team members said. “The roads were pretty horrible.” Bob told them it costs about $500-$700 for each trip.

When they finally got to the village, they introduced themselves to the headman, and asked permission to stay. He granted permission, so they set up their tents and waited for sunset when the people came in from the fields. Then they started a service and Friday, who knew the language, presented the gospel.

Sometimes mission workers see only a few people follow God in many years of work, but this night it wasn’t that way. The people’s hearts were ready—15 of them committed to Jesus, and several sick people came for prayer. But there were spiritual forces that were not going to give up without a fight.

Right after they started praying for one of the women who had made a commitment, a demon manifested itself in her by shaking her violently for about a minute. They kept rebuking it in Jesus’ name and commanding it to leave, and after it shook her for a little it left and she was back in her right mind.

Another woman was also gripped by a demon. She shook, stiffened up, and made bird noises, but that demon was driven out also. “That was really awesome to see God working his power in those people,” one of the REACHers said, “even in those who weren’t possessed but were definitely in need of Jesus.” One man who they thought had cancer told them that he was now ready to die if that’s what God wanted.

Before they left, they had another service the next night and more people believed in Jesus. “To see the genuine desire the villagers had to get to know God—amazing,” one of the team said.

It sounds like a story out of the book of Acts, but it happened in 2010. The same God who shook the Roman world of that time reached into an African village and transformed it, and he let the REACHers be a part.

The first official event in the Rosedale International Center was RMM’s fifth biennial prayer conference. Richard andJewel Showalter led a weekend of worship and prayer focusing on God’s glory. The theme: the earth is saturated with God’s glory, but not everyone recognizes it. In a sinful world, the clearest revelation of God’s glory is accompanied by suffering love. From their experiences around the world, Richard and Jewel shared many stories of people opening their eyes to the glory of God. The weekend culminated with a prayer service asking God to reveal his glory to the world’s nations who don’t yet see it.

Between sessions there were a variety of workshops and opportunities for prayer. Topics included teaching on various ways to pray—listening prayer, prayer journeys, prayers of confession and repentance, and more. Groups also went out into Columbus to pray in different sites and areas. These included a mosque, a city market, the downtown business community, a gay community, and many others.

The much-anticipated open house and dedication ceremony for the Rosedale International Center took place March 14. After Interim Center Coordinator Bob Stauffer cut the ribbon, there were tours, good food, and fellowship. A dedication ceremony wrapped up the afternoon. RMM president Joe Showalter, SEND Ministries director Todd Miller, and several others spent some time reflecting on the renovation project and what the new center will mean for RMM.

“If it is a building where people are first of all finding their own hunger met in Jesus, and then taking that knowledge, that relationship…and carrying that to the world, wherever that part of the world is, then this place is a powerful, world-transforming place,” Showalter said.

Other reactions:

“It’s a wonderful facility…with all the classroom space available, the rooms for the young people to stay in, the kitchen facility…I would like to see our youth come down here. I think it would be a great opportunity for them.” —Susan Grizzle (Hartville, OH)

“I’m really impressed with the way the building finished out, I noticed when I walked in the door, just the overall statement. It’s not opulent, like over the top, but it makes a really nice first impression.” —Mike Simpson (RMM board member)

“After visiting this place, it’s easy to catch a vision for what God can do through this facility. I can envision it full of the next generation of missionaries and leaders of the church. I’m excited about it.”—Dan Ziegler (President of Rosedale Bible College)

CHICAGO — The Association of Anabaptist-Mennonite Missiologists honored retired missionaries Elmer and Eileen Lehman and Henry and Esther Helmuth at a Jan. 21 event.

The recognition took place during a banquet at Council of International Ministries meetings.

James Krabill, convener for the Association of Anabaptist-Mennonite Missiologists, presented the missionaries with certificates recognizing their work in Costa Rica. Elmer and Eileen Lehman and Esther Helmuth were present to accept their certificates. Henry Helmuth died in 2004.

The Lehmans arrived in Costa Rica in 1961 as RMM’s first independently appointed missionaries. The Helmuths joined them in 1965. They worked together until 1983 planting churches, developing a Mennonite conference in the country and mentoring believers. Convención de Iglesias Mennonitas de Costa Rica (Costa Rica Mennonite Conference) now has more than 1,000 members in about 20 churches. Both couples were involved in additional church-planting efforts after returning to the United States.

Krabill said the Association of Anabaptist-Mennonite Missiologists is a loose organization of people interested in Mennonite and Anabaptist approaches to missions. At an annual banquet during the Council of International Ministries meetings, the group recognizes longtime missions leaders who were pioneers or who in some exceptional way influenced the theory and practice of mission work.

Elmer Lehman said the recognition was humbling, and they were grateful.

“By no means did we do this alone; God brings into the church persons of various giftings,” he said. “God gave us the good gift of local leaders that emerged in the church, and we worked as a team and had a great time doing it.”

There is much to be thankful for as work moves forward on the Rosedale International Center (RIC). Construction has gone smoothly, and the finishing touches are falling into place. The many hours of work by volunteers have been a tremendous blessing. Generous donors have given hundreds of thousands of dollars towards the Branching Out Capital Campaign. Plans for new and expanded programs are coming together. As the primary renovations near completion, we look forward with excitement to the dedication and open house for the new building on March 14, 2010.

To date, we have reached 25% of our funding goal. While we still need just over $3 million, we continue to be confident that we are following God’s leading with the project and trust that He will provide what we need.

Specific funding opportunities include:

• Additional individuals to partner with us in major gifts of $10,000 and up as God leads.
  
• 488 more members of the “500.” These are people or groups who pledge to give $100 a month for 36 months. We know that not everyone can give $100 each month, and others might be able to give more. Those who can give at a lower level are encouraged to do so, and their funds will be combined with those of others to make up one “member” of the 500.
  
• The participation of CMC churches–perhaps with an offering or a fundraiser on our behalf.
  
• Individuals to be extra generous at the 2010 Missions Day Offering. Our goal for 2010 is $440,000. We’re praying for an additional one-time “bonus” of $200,000 beyond our normal goal ($240,000 for 2010) to fund new program initiatives at the RIC.
  
• Sunday School classes, Vacation Bible Schools, sewing circles and small groups to “adopt a room” and raise funds to pay for furnishings—items like linens, beds, blinds, carpet, and other accessories.

If God is leading you to be a part of this project, you can contact Shawn Eicher at shawn@rmmoffice.org, call the RMM office at 740-857-1366

The teams are made up of 19 young adults from 10 different states. Their destinations this year are Spain, the Middle East, Thailand, and Zambia. They will be involved in ministries like engaging in friendship evangelism with Muslims, working in a coffee shop, teaching English, and helping out at an orphanage for HIV and AIDS orphans.

Mel Shetler, pastor of Maple City Chapel in Goshen, Indiana, gave the message. He drew lessons from Luke 9, which tells how Jesus sent out the disciples to preach the gospel and heal people. Shetler said Jesus is still calling out and equipping ministry teams and giving them a strategy to effectively minister. The REACH training, he said, had been a chance to grow in relationships and faith, and to learn the principles of the Kingdom of God. “As you go out from here tonight, those principles of the Kingdom are what He wants you to have on your heart, on your lips, at your fingertips, because preaching the Kingdom is what Jesus did.”

After the message, friends and family gathered around the team members and prayed about the challenges they would face. The list of requests included emotional health, harmonious team relationships, effective ministry, and good relationships with the governments of the destination countries. After the group prayer time, RMM president Joe Showalter gave a closing prayer.

RMM would like to seize this opportunity to send two individuals to Spain for two years as part of this program. Our vision is to send ambassadors of the King of Kings who will not only teach English but disciple Spaniards at the same time. Our goal is to incorporate these two teaching assistants into the RMM team of workers in Granada. But the applicants need to apply early in 2010 in order to be assigned by the Ministry of Education to a province in high demand such as Granada. Applicants are assigned a school in the month of May. The program begins in late September and runs through the end of May.

Who can apply to be a Teaching Assistant?

• College degree (B.A or B.S. in any major) or a college senior.
  
• Teaching degree or ESL experience is NOT required but would be beneficial.
  
• Must have a functional knowledge of Spanish. (roughly the equivalent of two years of college Spanish)

Program details:

• Teaching assistants will work under the supervision of a classroom teacher in K-12 schools.
  
• You will teach a minimum of 12 hours per week plus other school related activities.
  
• You will receive a grant or stipend of 700 Euros/month from October to May from the Ministry of Education. This should cover your room and board but not airfare to Spain or other miscellaneous expenses. At the current rate of exchange this stipend equals $1,034.
  
• More details for the current year program can be found here.
  
• Once you are accepted into the program you will need to apply to the Spanish Consulate for a student visa.

We at Rosedale Mennonite Missions are excited about this opportunity to placecommitted disciples and disciple makers in schools in Spain. Typically, North Americans cannot easily get visas to work in Spain. While we can’t guarantee which cities and towns the Education Ministry assigns our applicants, we believe that EARLY applicants will be able to work in the province of Granada, Andalucía and thus be able to work alongside the RMM team in Spain. We’d like to send you early enough to spend the summer in Granada brushing up on your Spanish and begin your discipling ministry.

Contact RMM with your questions.
Denise Mast
Missionary Intern Facilitator
denise@rmmoffice.org

Source: http://www.mec.es/sgci/usa/en/programs/us_assistants/default.shtml#visa

Pictured here is a string of Muslim prayer beads. As a Muslim fingers these 99 beads, he or she recites the 99 names of God. Pray that one day many Muslims will know a new name of God, and exalt the name of Jesus!

God is faithful. God is good. These are the two promises, prayers, and proven truths that were continually made more and more evident for those of us who were blessed to be a part of City Challenge this summer. City Challenge is a program in which youth groups come to the SEND House in inner-city Columbus, Ohio, and spend five intense days serving others and truly seeking all that the Lord would have for both those being served and the youth themselves. It is incredible how eager the Lord is to act and move when we simply open our eyes and step forward in faith.

This summer we focused on the idea of ‘iDENTITY’ for the groups coming, which proved to be an idea that God would truly use to impact lives. The youth were pushed and stretched to actively live out the love of God together as the body of Christ. As they went out and served the homeless, prayed for strangers, and got real with each other, they were challenged to find the truth of who God says that they are and then to cling to that truth with all they have.

While we were encouraged to continually see personal breakthroughs and relationships restored by the power of God, perhaps the most encouraging thing we saw was what happened after the youth went home from City Challenge. It is easy for them to have a mountaintop experience on a trip like this, only to fall back into the same traps as before just a week later. But truly we have seen lives changed of youth and leaders alike. As one of the leader’s wrote in a letter soon after their group’s time here, “It is like the week was a ‘payday’ for years of steady teaching, discipling, and sometimes mundane youth ministry.” Youth are going home and starting Bible readings in the park, actively going out to meet and feed the homeless in their hometowns, and some are leading their friends to salvation in the Lord. These things are evidence of a God who is alive and waiting to use those who are willing. We hope to see more people come to our new facility next summer to join us in the mighty things God is doing and will do in City Challenge.

As of June 30, 2009 we have completed:

• 90% of demolition
• 85% of “Rough In” (HVAC, electric, plumbing, and masonry)
• 35% of painting on upper level
• 75% of windows on lower level
• 50% of drywall on lower level

There is still a lot to do! Areas where help is still needed include drywall, painting, kitchen work, trim work and hanging doors. The amount of work for groups is limited, but a lot of work remains for experienced individuals and small groups. Skilled laborers can be used now through early 2010 when we will be ready to occupy most of the building. Bob Stauffer is giving leadership to the project, and hopes to have our occupancy permit by December 2009.

I am happy to inform you of a significant milestone (and a wonderful answer to prayer) reached in the Capital Campaign. In April I asked you to pray for $500 K by Conference in July. We reached that goal this month! To date we have gifts, pledges and savings equal to $554,400 which is equal to the amount we paid for the property! We are so grateful to God, to those who gave, and to you our intercessors who helped to pray it in.

Conference sessions start on July 23. Do you suppose God could bring that figure up to $1 million by then? That’s not much time, but we are praying for a capital campaign in which the funds will be raised and the work accomplished with less effort and in a shorter span of time than seems logical.

Let’s ask Him to do it!

Thanks for praying!