Week 7- A Simple "Yes" or "No"

Preface: This post is not going to be a feel-good post. Within these words, you will not find endearing stories about our boys or accounts of different accomplishments. Many times, I think missionaries are expected to only speak about the good times; but we all know (or should know) that the mission field is dotted with failure. Missionaries face disappointments and broken promises.  So, if you are looking for a post that will make you feel good, check back next week or read a previous post. Today’s is going to address a problem that all missionaries and mission organizations deal with almost daily.

My youth group years were some of the most formative years of my life. I was blessed to attend a church that had a strong youth group guided by leaders who cared about us holistically—spiritually, physically, and socially. However, there are only a few lessons that I actually remember from my youth ministers. Of course, my thinking and personal theology has been shaped by what was presented to me, but few actual lessons stick out. One lesson that latched into my consciousness was on James 5:12: “Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear--not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ Otherwise you will be condemned.” Basically, the core of the lesson was that you should not have to add “I promise” to a statement for people to take you at your word. A person should have such a reputation of being trustworthy that when this person says s/he will do something, there is no doubt that this person will do it.

This lesson probably stuck with me because throughout part of my childhood, I played loose and dirty with the truth. I found that lying could sometimes get me out of short-lived trouble; usually, though, it led to some longer-term punishments. Since then, the truth has always been important to me—you could say, it was beaten into me. I have been accused of being brutally honest at times. Little lies bother me; deception enrages me. My trust is something that I guard fiercely, and when lost,  it does not return easily. I hold integrity higher than most other virtues. The truth is not always easy, though. Truth and convenience are not often bedfellows. Truth may be liberating, but it will frequently be agonizing, too.

After hearing a missionary speak or witnessing a missionary in action on the mission field, many people are moved to help out in some way. For some, that means dropping everything and coming to work full-time with the missionary. For most, though, that means having the desire to donate to the mission. With this burning conviction, many people will say to the missionary, “I am going to start sending money to you every month.” People feel good after saying this—like they have accomplished something great through this simple utterance. This statement, though, means much more to the missionary. It means that the missionary potentially can feed another child, support another church, or afford to stay another day in the mission field. So many, though, forget about the promise they made to the missionary. The high of making this pledge is fleeting. Other things become a priority. Bills show up. Student loans stand in the way. Life’s expenses continue to roll in. And the missionary is forgotten.

I have witnessed this too often in my two months here. If Mountain Top Ministries had the money that was promised to us, our budget would be drastically different. We have come to learn that maybe 50% of the pledged funds will actually show up. Imagine hoping that you will be paid 50% of what your salary is supposed to be.  This is what many missionaries face on a daily basis. That is shameful.

But my post is not about guilt; there is already too much guilt within the church. This post is about honesty and altering your decision-making process. When you feel the desire, that conviction, to help a missionary, decide if that feeling will disappear within the next week. Decide if you believe God is actually convicting you to help or if you are only doing because it makes you feel good. Decide if you are going to make it a priority. Decide all of this before making a commitment with a missionary.  Missionaries will not become aggravated because you decided that you couldn’t assist them—they didn’t even know that you have considered it because you were a grown adult and decided to think things through before making a verbal commitment.  Missionaries will become disappointed, distraught, even angry if you say you will help and then don’t. That is dishonesty. That is not God honoring.

Those who have said they would support me came through, as I have mentioned on many occasions. I am eternally grateful for the diverse group of supporters that I have. But I have witnessed missionary after missionary struggle with an unreliable donor base. A missionary has to have a large amount of faith in God before diving into the mission field—there is a faith that God will always provide. Missionaries, too, have to have faith in the people of God who have decided to partner with them. Missionaries face an array of hardships—broken promises from God’s people should never (never.) be one of them.