Self-Reliance

Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.  These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.  Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.

Mark 6:7-11

 

Back at Christmas, as we packed and prepared to go to Toronto to visit family, I noticed how much more difficult it was to travel now that Ethan had come along. We had multiple suitcases, packed right to the point of bursting, a stroller, car seat, diaper bag, laptop bag, and multiple carry-ons as well.

It was difficult to decide what to take, so I think we just took everything for every possible occasion. My conversations with Linnea at the time went something like this:

“He likes these 16 different books, which ones do we take?” 

“I don’t know, better take them all, just in case.” 

“What clothes will he need?  Something in case it’s warm?  But maybe it’ll be really cold. Any chance we’ll go swimming somewhere? Better throw the swimsuit in there, just in case.”

I was a little surprised, but I should be used to this. When I fly LAMP’s planes, it’s not exactly ‘light’, no matter how hard I try. 

We carry extra oil, in case we get low.  Maps, charts, and other electronic navigation aids. My flight bag is filled to the brim with all sorts of items, like flashlights and a handheld radio. Survival equipment, sleeping bags, and a portable locating beacon, for a worst case scenario, to go along with a satellite phone. Covers for the wings and engine when it’s cold out to keep off the snow and frost.  Sometimes, I’ll even carry around a spare tire.  Oh, and we can’t forget the snacks and drinks for those long flights.  Everything for every possible occasion. 

When I contrast this with how Jesus sent out the disciples, I am amazed. Jesus sends them out with practically nothing. Sure, you can take a staff and a pair of sandals, but no extra shirt. No money, no food. How were they supposed to survive?  In this case, self-reliance was not an option. They were going to trust that God would provide for them on their journey.

In reality, our work at MAF is similar too. Self-reliance just isn’t an option. We cannot do this alone. We must rely on God to provide for this journey and He does that through people like you. Through the people that support this ministry financially and pray for us regularly, we are able to keep going. 

I can fill the plane up with all of the equipment and supplies that I want, but without you there beside me, we’re not going anywhere. We cannot thank you enough for keeping our ministry going for the past 10+ years.

Ethan's all packed and ready to go too!

Unfortunately, as you have probably noticed, during the past year, inflation has increased substantially, which has driven up the cost to keep our ministry sustainable. 

Although last year our ministry was able to meet our budgetary needs, due to necessary increases, at the moment, our ministry is in need of approximately an additional $350/month to keep going for this year. 

Perhaps you’ve been following our ministry for a while, but have never made a decision to get involved. Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us by supporting this ministry financially to help continue to bring the gospel to the most remote communities of Northern Canada?  If you are interested, please click on the donate button above to give.  The plane is all packed and ready to go, but we need you to help make this flight happen.