It’s the time of year when many churches take up the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, in remembrance of a devoted sister who stood in the gap between the American church and the missions field to beg for more devotion to the spreading of the gospel. That very devotion resulted in her life given for the furthering of the gospel in terribly hard places. She literally poured herself out for the betterment of others, that they could see the gospel at work in her own life as well as hear it for themselves.
The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is the sole offering collected amongst Southern Baptist churches in direct funding of the International Mission Board (IMB). This offering collection funds the majority of all the missionary expenses for the entire year. And this offering has become very personal to us ever since we have been granted the utter privilege and opportunity to be appointed as missionaries through the IMB.
Through your giving, we were trained with many, many other missionaries for 2 months at the ILC.
Through your giving, we successfully traveled across the world and first touched foot on African soil.
Through your giving, we were able to crate and ship familiar and useful belongings in making the huge transition to third world living. (And I tell you what, when you give away over 70% of all the belongings to your name and have only what familiar things will fit in your suitcases for 18 months, that 30% of the original familiars in a crate in your final destination takes on a greater meaning. 😉 )
Through your giving, we are able to have on-the-ground language training from the dear natives here in Mozambique.
Through your giving, we have a car to travel out to distant villages.
Through your giving, we have been overwhelmed with an abundance of daily living blessings – like a wonderful fully-stocked home, a wonderful house helper, guards to keep our home safe from petty theft, and so much more.
And most importantly (even though we have only been here for less than 3 months and are still fighting through beginning language learning), through your giving, we have gotten the opportunity to see one more brother come to a saving knowledge of the Lord, Jesus Christ JUST YESTERDAY!!!
Yes, dear brothers and sisters in America, your giving has gone a VERY, VERY long way in our hearts and in our lives. We are forever changed for the better! We are better tools in our Father’s Hands!
THANK YOU! Oh how thank you just doesn’t seem like enough.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so for your dedicated and heart-felt giving.
We and the Body here in Mozambique are forever changed
because you give.
