Cup of Cold Water Ministries
Stories from the field
A Collection of Stories From The Heart Of A Missionary
The Value of A Mission Sending Board AUTHOR SHARI TVRDIK "To whom it may concern, The letter went on from there to ask if Cup of Cold Water Ministries could be of any assistance. This letter was the starting line of our race. the moment right before the gun shot is fired into the air, when the runner feels everything, dreams big and believes winning the race is possible. Director of CCWM, Dan Hennenfent responded to that email with a two hour phone call followed up by a personal visit to our home. I'll never forget the little circle we made in our kitchen that evening where Dan prayed his heart out over us. In a world where a letter like Troy's may have caused some heads to shake, CCWM took us seriously. They still believed in missions and missionaries. They believed Abraham stories happen today. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a simple process. There were applications, interviews, board meetings. All this leading to one night months later where we waited by the phone for the call that would either welcome us as missionaries or turn us away. When the phone had not rung by 11pm we were almost certain the board had decided we were not fit for the field. Who could blame them? An ordinary couple from a small town who didn't even own passports. Four children, two of them teenagers. Neither of us held a degree in anything. Sometime after 11:30 came the call that changed our lives, "Congratulations, you are CCWM's newest missionaries!" The starting shot rang out through our hearts that night. Joy gave way to tears. CCWM did not leave us there to figure it out for ourselves. They began to run by our side. Through the early days of learning how to raise funding all the way to the airport to send us off. they were there. And the send off was just the beginning. CCWM has followed us through this race, supporting us with whatever it takes to keep us running. They meet regularly to pray for, care for, raise funding for and plan for their missionaries. If you've ever had the privilege to sit in on a board meeting you're struck by the authentic love and care the organization has for their missionaries and for the mission of the Gospel to go forward to all nations. CCWM board members come and SEE what is happening. This accountability is greatly needed. Many missionaries are left without that kind of support and it is one of the leading causes of missionary burn out and failure. WE NEED A TEAM! Our mission board, the unseen writers of the incredible story written in Mongolia. There is no special recognition given to those who manage the bank accounts, pay the salaries, answer the countless email coming in all hours of the international night, edit, print and mail newsletters, counsel and provide a shoulder to cry on. Our Heavenly Father sees and knows the feet that bring good news are in the shoes called a mission board. The story that followed our arrival in Mongolia was much bigger than any of us could have known. God had a plan and invited us into it. But back at that starting line, back to that first letter, what would have happened had CCWM responded to Troy with something to the effect of, "I'm sorry, but you don't qualify."? When we were just getting started, when the race was unknown, when it was all a beautiful hope, we found CCWM. And they said, "Go, we're right behind you!"
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Stories From The Past
November 2019
Who Writes The Stories?
Our stories are authored by a collection of missionaries who have served and learned both at home and abroad Categories
All
|