As I have mentioned previously, one of the scariest and hardest moves we will make in our journey comes in just a few months. I will be quitting my job at Pinnacle Airlines and pursuing school full-time to obtain my aviation maintenance certification for missionary flying. The thought of me quitting passes through our minds daily because neither Jenn, nor I have ever made such a bold step of faith. Well, I guess Jenn did when she married me, but whatever. Knowing we will not have a steady source of income is unnerving and doesn't make sense from a worldly standpoint. But, this is what God is calling us to do and we are "pressing on" as Paul says in Philippians. We are so excited to see how God will provide and how He will shape our relationship with Him and with each other.
One part of raising support that we are a little apprehensive about it whether people will give or not. We have come to the conclusion, however, that God will raise up supporters and He will be faithful regardless of how much money we have in our bank account. Through all the counsel we have received we have been told many times that it would be beneficial to join with a non-profit organization to aid in our support raising. Now, I have ZERO experience when it comes to non-profit groups and really don't know what I'm doing, so each day is a new learning experience. So, we just started asking around to see if anyone recommended any non-profit groups we could talk to. My parents and many others mentioned GMF, or Global Ministries Fellowship. They are based here in Memphis and aid in ministries all over the globe, including our church Living Hope when we were just starting out.
We contacted them a couple weeks ago by email explaining to them what we are doing and if they would be able to help us as we begin the life of full-time ministry. Within a week we heard back from Richard Hamlet, who is the president of GMF, asking us to come in for an interview. This got us pretty excited because we knew this could be a big step forward in helping us raise support. We met with Richard and his wife Ginger for about two hours last Thursday, and the meeting could not have gone better! Once we began explaining what we were doing and we listened to them tell us what GMF is about, it seemed that God had definitely planned this from the beginning. Jenn and I both came out of the meeting very encouraged, humbled, and mostly grateful to the Lord for opening this door for us. We still need to go through the application process, which should hopefully begin this week, and complete a budget and mission report. Please pray for us in this, because we want to be good stewards of what God has given us and what will be provided for us by our future financial partners.
Before I end, I want to quickly explain what the benefit is of joining a group such as GMF. Basically, they will aid us in everything that has to do with our ministry and financial support raising. So, let's say you want to partner with us (and we pray you do) and you go to write a check. Instead of just writing a check to: Andrew and Jennifer Taylor, you will now write a tax deductible check to GMF who will then pass it on to us. GMF ensures that all of our funds are managed properly, legally, and reputably. GMF will also send out all of our quarterly newsletters and any other updates that we need to get out to our supporters. When we draft our mission report, they will send it out in mass to all the people we want. That means, no spending $200 on stamps, ink, paper or worrying if we missed someone. GMF handles these tasks for missionaries all over the world and we are humbled to be able to be a part of a great ministry. If you are interested in GMF beyond what I have told you, then go to their website.
www.gmfonline.org
We want to thank everyone who is still keeping us in your prayers. We definitely need them on a daily basis! It has just amazed us how God is leading us through all the steps we need to take. Even this latest event with GMF has been one of the many wide open doors that God continues to lead us through. It gives us a sense that this truly is what He is calling us to do. Please pray about joining us in our ministry as we prepare to go and tell the nations about Christ! Though we still have a long journey ahead of us, it is not possible without your faithful support. We are confident the Lord will provide! We hope to get our mission report out to everyone by the middle of the summer. Until then, keep us in your prayers and we will continue to pray for you!
Grace and Peace,
Andrew
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