Where We Are
Zechariah 4:10a – “For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.”
Lilian Trasher, missionary to Egypt at the beginning of the last century, was experiencing God’s provision in very tangible ways. At times, she would say things before she even knew that it was possible – it was like her tongue would prophesy and her heart would have to catch up. God clearly was doing something in and through her. At the very beginning of her care for orphans in Egypt, Lilian was reminded of this verse from Zechariah. She had received money from a Muslim boy who had heard that she wanted to care for orphans. While that first donation was very small and quite unexpected, God reminded Lilian that we must not forget that God himself is building His kingdom. He calls people. He provides for people. He uses people, big and small. The multitude of ways of his provision are truly unsearchable.
How is all that related to our journey? It is simple. God has already provided in big ways. In that, we rejoice. Our hearts are filled with gratitude that God continues to show us the way. Like Lilian, our hearts are comforted with every gift the Lord provides. We look forward to all that God is yet to do.
Here is an update on our need as it stands today.
What We Need
Philippians 4:19-20 – “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
We have been called to serve the Lord. It has been confirmed to us many times over. We stand firm on the promise that God will provide all our needs, because he knows them before they are on our tongue. We are excited to take the next steps, and it is clear, the Lord is with us.
However, financial partnership is critical for missions. We know that. You know that. We are not ashamed, therefore, to speak clearly about our need.
While you may not be called like us to enter the mission field, you are called by the Lord, to consider how to use all that he has given you to join Him in kingdom work.
Here is something important to remember... there are two important aspects of kingdom work: (1) there is the building of things and (2) there is the maintaining of things.
In this broken and fallen world, everything that is built must also be maintained. Some people are excited about building new things. Some people get excited when they can help maintain something.
When it comes to the mission that we are called to, we would ask you to consider whether you are called to help build things, or whether you are called to maintain things. Either way, we have need for both!
This is what the current picture of the total monthly need looks like:
How to Pray
Colossians 4:3-4 – “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.”
This update is all about the financial needs related to our mission. What to pray for then, should be obvious. However, we want to invite you to be as specific in your prayers as our needs are. As you saw in the graphic above, there are different categories with different dollar amounts attached. We need partners in each category. Would you pray with us that God would provide by bringing along partners for each category?
Additionally, pray that God would provide not just for the short-term, but the long-term. As we said, we need to build and maintain. Pray that God would continue to bring partners who would financially support this mission.
Pray also for abundance. We are going to use the words of a dear friend who prayed a prayer for us that blessed our hearts tremendously. It blessed us primarily because it was speaking the truths of Scripture - speaking about the character of God - instead of focusing on the need or our feeble faith. The paraphrased version of the prayer our friend prayed is this, “Father, I pray that you would bless the Gruenings with an abundance of people to support them. Give them more than what they need so that they may know that it was you who supplied everything for this mission.”
Scriptures like 2 Corinthians 9:10-15 and Ephesians 3:20-21 came to mind because of our friend’s prayer. Not only does God provide, He provides abundantly. And us? We get on our knees in gratitude and worship, giving glory to God, for he alone supplied all our needs.
Lastly, pray for steadfastness of faith and diligence in obedience. We know God is for us – he called us after all. Please pray that our hearts don’t grow weary when the circumstances suggest God isn’t providing. Please pray that our obedience doesn’t falter when our hearts are discouraged. Please pray that we are undaunted in our courage to take steps of faith, instead of relying on the incomplete facts of our present reality. As a dear brother in Christ has said, “God does impossible math!”
How to Give
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The longer we live the more we understand how fleeting life really is. Surely the current pandemic has shown us that life is fragile and the things humans have built are temporary, at best. Infrastructure, health care, economy, alliances, everything we put our hands on, as valuable as they sometimes are, do not have lasting value.
The verses above from the book of Matthew reminds us of this brokenness. But, as God always does, he gives us good news amidst the bad. We are sinners, but God give us hope in Christ Jesus. We are weak and feeble, but God promises to provide. The question then becomes, what do I really want to invest in? What treasures do I want to store up? For us the answer is, increasingly but not perfectly, that what matters most to God ought to be our greatest treasure.
So, we are wrapping up this post with two things:
(1) An invitation to consider where you may fit in this mission. Is God calling you to partner with us financially? Is he asking you to pray for us specifically, regularly, and passionately? Is God putting something else on your heart on how to partner with us? Please consider prayerfully what God may be asking of you. Think about whether this may be an opportunity for you to invest in what matters to God.
(2) A path to partner with us. If you already know that you want to partner with us, take the steps to give today. Simply click on Partner With Us on the top of this page. On the next page, scroll all the way down and follow the steps.
If you need more time to pray and consider, please do so. If you have questions, we’d love to answer them (call us, email us, etc.). Please also consider sharing our mission with your church, small group, or others who may want to follow us on this journey. If so, please feel free to connect us with them. If God is leading you to partner with him in this ministry, come back to our website and click on Partner With Us at the top of the page and look for the steps to give.
Much love in Christ,
The Gruenings
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