That awkward post - fUnDrAiSiNg

Fundraising... it's an awkward thing. It just is. 

Many people stay far from it, but it seems God has called us Morgans to be life-long FUNdraisers! Woopie! With the adoption... we have some experience at it! Fundraising salaries is what I like to call a HEAD-FIRST DIVE OF FAITH! Here we go... S.P.L.A.S.H.

We have discussed this, prayed about it, and gotten advice from others about this whole issue of fundraising.  I've come to some conclusions:

It's Biblical - Paul did it (asking and working), Jesus did it (working and relying on others' gifts), priests did it (relying on others' gifts and God's providence), and the disciples did it (working and relying on others' support)... just to name a few. 

It looks different for everyone - some may just rely on donations from others, some may work/sell things to raise additional funds, some may ask, some may pray, some may call, some may make personal visits, etc. 

It's The Church's job to support missionaries - The global church is responsible for supporting those in the field. Support could = financially, prayerfully, in tangible ways, visiting, sharing their stories, etc. Paul, in his letters, always made sure to thank those churches and individuals that gave and supported and emphasized that doing so was glorifying God and increasing kingdom work. 

It's ministry - If loving others, going to the ends of the earth, and serving are all considered ministry... why isn't fundraising? Because it involves money doesn't mean it's the 'secular' part of ministry.  It should be done with the same passion, motivation, and prayer that other ministry is done. It's all for Jesus in the end, right? 

It's necessary - Just because people are doing God's work full-time doesn't mean they should mope around and complain about not having any money! That's just silly! Missionaries should strive to be fully-funded! If God has given individual's goals to achieve... why wouldn't He help them honor those goals? It doesn't seem right for people who are relying on support in some way not to be fully funded - whether that's because of laziness, lack of faith, or fear. If God has called someone to the mission field... we should call of Him for our raised funds! Funds are necessary for life - for food, housing, transportation, kiddo's needs, etc. 

So... with that said, I want to give you a run down of what's going to be happening WHEN we start with Praying Pelican Missions. FYI - People can begin giving/supporting us now. The money will not be released to us until we start, but we would love to have a base of support for when that happens (AKA... when Eric arrives). Here's the dealio: 

We've truly been blessed to have Praying Pelican give us each a small salary ($12,000/year), with the possibility of earning more based on team recruitment, to help us with daily living expenses while we focus on serving.  Praying Pelican requires us to raise the remainder of our salaries directly through support of family and friends.  Financial support can be given as a one-time gift or as a monthly gift. Nugget of info - signing up for mission trips with us also supports us - win/win right there! Everything that is given in support will go towards our personal living expenses/necessities.  Without such support, we would not be able to go after this awesome task that God has put in our lives.

Jacob and I will do our part too! Jacob plans to do some major carpentry work... kinda like Jesus. He's going to make lots of furniture, pallet art, and maybe a few clocks. I plan to do some interpreting for some college classes... because that's my fav, sell Origami Owl jewelry, and help with the pallet art! Stay tuned for some of our crafts!!! 

How can you get involved? There's 3 ways to support our ministry: 
#1 GO ON an AMAZING mission trip with PPM! Check it out here!! 
#2 Pray!!!!! Please pray! 
#3 Give financially (if you feel led, instructions are below)

ONLINE: 

• 95.5% will be given to us. 4.5% is used to cover credit card fees and processing fees by Praying Pelican Missions.
• Give Here! 

OR 

• Go to http://www.prayingpelicanmissions.org/donate  
• Scroll down until you see "Anna & Jacob Morgan" 
• You can select Donate to do a one-time donation or select the amount you want to subscribe monthly.  You'll be asked to fill in your information once you click on the option you prefer. 

CHECK:

• 95.5% will be given to us. 4.5% is to cover processing fees by Praying Pelican Missions.
• Write check to Praying Pelican Missions (do NOT put our names anywhere on the check.) Include a note with the check stating: "Support for Jacob and Anna Morgan" and your email address to receive a receipt via email or your mailing address to receive a receipt by mail.

Mail to:

Praying Pelican Missions

4899 Miller Trunk Hwy, Suite 216

Duluth, MN 55811

• Once the check is received by Praying Pelican Missions, it will be processed within 7 business days.  A receipt will be sent to you after the check has been processed. 

Sign Language Interpreter - Bridging the gap SELFLESSLY!

Continuing on with the Praying Pelican Missions' blog series about everyday missionaries:

"We, who have accepted Jesus as Lord, are all missionaries! Each of us may not be living abroad or leading mission trips as a career, but the truth is, everyone can be a missionary.  This blog series will span across multiple blogs from our PPM Mission Coordinators and Advocates and will serve to showcase people who are living daily with a missional mindset. We will be giving a voice to a barista, who shares the love of Christ through espresso shots each morning. We will be the platform for a tired mom next door to share how she impacts her child's friends when they come over for a sleepover. We will be the helping hand to a Pastor who wants to encourage his congregation to get involved. The school teacher who invests in his students and wants to see them succeed and know Christ. The janitor who humbly and lovingly listens to his co-workers as they vent and confess their sins to him. We pray these stories will encourage and challenge us all to live our lives as missionaries everyday, in our own unique mission fields!"

I asked my good buddy, Kira Lawson, to write about her mission mindset in being an American Sign Language interpreter... LIKE ME! Kira and I went to the University of Tennessee together - Go Vols! I have enjoyed her friendship so very very much.  Kira recently passed the big dog test of interpreting - the NIC (National Interpreting Certification)! Woot Woot.  

Praying Pelican is ALL about bridging cultures and people. Well... that's exactly what sign language interpreters do... RIGHT IN OUR OWN BACKYARD! They bridge the gap between the hearing and Deaf world by facilitating communication between the two! It's a beautiful thing! Deaf people then have access to the hearing world, and the hearing have the amazing opportunity to have a look into the Deaf culture... an amazing thing in itself! And... many people may not know, but the Deaf population, as a whole, is an unreached people group (less than 2% claim to be evangelical Christians).  So... interpreters who love Jesus are a treasure! 

With all the hype going on about fake interpreters and such and because I love her tons, I wanted to showcase Kira! Here's what Kira says about her every missionary life:

My name is Kira Lawson and I am a certified sign language interpreter.  I have a husband and two dogs.  We live in Knoxville, Tennessee. Our life is always crazy and chaotic, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Kira and her husband on date night. 

I met Anna Morgan while in college and she's one of the reasons that I chose the field that I'm in today.  During my career so far, I've seen a lot of different scenarios and had a lot of new experiences.  I'm an interpreter both in the community and video relay settings. So how am I a missionary daily?

Here are their 2 dogs - Coco Chanel (we call her a miniature black lab HA!) and Cheyenne (chocolate lab)

I think what I've learned to be one of the most beautiful things about a person is their attitude. Their heart. Their compassion. Everyday I encounter lots of people, both deaf and hearing. Co-workers, clients, people at Target, friends, family, and even the person at the gas station who needs money for milk.  I used to live a life where I thought, "well that's their problem, not mine" or "that sucks for them..." I was prideful of the life I had built for myself. And then I realized how selfish I was being and what an ugly heart I had.

So I prayed. I prayed to have the desire to be compassionate. To be positive. To be the blessing to those who may just be having a crummy day.  Here's where my heart has been dwelling lately.

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others."  Philippians 2:3-4

I decided to be a blessing at all times. Am I perfect?  Of course not. But I decided to change my attitude. So how did I do this?  I took one day at a time.  It might be telling a sick client that I'm praying for them. Or remembering a client's favorite drink and bringing it by the hospital. Or making a co-worker laugh when their day isn't going so great. Maybe it's volunteering in the Deaf community and building relationships. Or it's talking about what God is doing in my life.  Perhaps it's encouraging a young new interpreter in the field. Even something as simple as a compliment. We should build each other up instead of tearing one another down. As a daughter, I want to please my Heavenly Father and show his love to others. I want to BLESS others daily with His compassion.

It's all about the attitude. In my daily mission field, my goal is to strive to be more like Christ. To bless others. To have a compassionate heart. A beautiful heart.

So thankful for Kira. Make sure to keep up with her on her blog! 

Check out the other blogs in this everyday mission series: 

Stay at Home Mom - It's a Mission Field!

Being a Missionary in the Classroom 

Rock-N-Roll Missions  

Missional life in the "church bubble"

A Happy Post - Good times!

A happy post. We all need those! 

The past few weeks... although filled with anxious thoughts and prayers for that dern medical form... have also been filled with really great stuff! 

Over Thanksgiving break, we got to see our family! I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted to, but it seems like when you live out of town and come home... you are running all over the place to see everyone and hug every neck. So... sometimes my photography skills lack. 'Tis life.

Us with mom

Us with Nanny and Pawpaw.  

When Nanny saw this she said "Wow, I've turned into a little shrimp!" Haha. 

She also said no one told her it was Thanksgiving! So, I told her it was a surprise Thanksgiving party for her! She liked that... whatever works! 

Love them. 

Then, me and mom headed up to Nashville to meet lil' Grant and see my besties!! 

It was a fabulous time! 

Have you ever seen more handsome fellas? 

That night we went out to eat and I told Isaac Henry I was his date. He liked that. 

They said all the way to the restaurant he was saying, "Anna. date. anna. date." 

Yep... I like him. Pretty cute couple I might say. 

We finally got a family picture with Jubi in it!! 

I love our family.

I can't wait until Eric is smack dab in the middle of it! 

Soon... I hope.

When we got back home, we had our College group Christmas party.

These people are awesome! 

I know I've talked about them often... but they really are amazing. 

I've never seen such love... such unity... such transparency in a group that's so different. 

We played Dirty Santa... and Jacob got his beloved Christmas Tree Cakes! 

He's a happy man. BUT... he's so generous these days... he took all of them to SHARE with our new pelican friends at training!  

 Last week we were blessed to go to Praying Pelican Missions training. Although we haven't officially started with them, they want us to be equipped to do ministry WELL when we are able to start. So thankful for people around us having favor on us during all our chaos! It's good! 

Clearwater, FL for training... yep, I'll take it!  

We had fun. 

Thankful that we love each other enough that we are actually EXCITED about working for the same organization, in the same home, going to the same country, being on the same emails... it's good! 

Wanna laugh? 

Okay... we saw a pig... on a leash... walking down the street! Good stuff people.

Love doing life with this man. 

We also got to celebrate a marriage... one of my favorite things! 

It was a lovely occasion! 

Here we are with the lovely couple - Amber & Patrick. Patrick is a youth pastor as well.

There's just some things that only a youth pastor and his bride can understand. I've loved getting to know them and hope to continue to encourage them in their ministry. Pumped to see what all God does with them!

Here's Jenna.

I love thee. Don't know what I would have done without her in Troy this year. She is a blessing. I know God has LOTS planned for her. Love her heart - for Jesus, for girls, for missions, and for intentional relationships. She rocks! 

 Yay for good times. New things. Great friends. Family is always good. 

To our Southside Family

So, it's after the official announcement at big church... we (Jacob & I) are going into full-time missions together... we have accepted full-time positions as Missions Coordinator with Praying Pelican Missions... effective January. My heart feels like it is in one million different places with one million different emotions. I don't know how else to explain this expect by writing a letter to our Southside family.  So... here it goes. (I will explain more about the actual jobs and what that means for us in the next post)

To our Southside Family:

Thank you.

Thank you for loving us so well and allowing us to be part of your family for the 6 years (for Jacob) and 4 years (for me).  Thank you for taking this young married couple into your hearts and allowing us to serve with you. Thank you for loving us... the crazy Morgans... who probably rocked the boat more than a few times with our ideas and ways of doing things. Our prayer is that God was/is/will be glorified through our efforts.

Thank you for letting us, and encouraging us, in loving your children well and teaching them the precious Word of God. Our heart, day in and day out, has been to show each youth the vast and great love of Jesus and the great joy in loving Him back.  Thank you for entrusting your students with us - for every Wednesday night service, for every Monday night Bible study, for every event, for every trip, for every random night they came to our house... THANK YOU. We love each and every student... we really do. They are the reason that we wanted to wake up each day and do life.  They have AMAZED us.
To our youth - we love you. You have our hearts. Thank you for sharing life with us. We pray for you EVERY day. Thank you for the smiles, the laughs, the tears, and everything in between. Thank you for loving us well. Thank you for taking risks with us - from trying out Student Life camp for the first time to taking a mission trip to Belize.  And to my girls - the best nights of my life were with you... hearing your hearts, listening to your dreams, crying with you, laughing with you, and trying to figure out with following Jesus LOOKS LIKE in real life. You are more than precious to me. Youth - YOU WILL NEVER BE REPLACED! We pray, most of all, that you saw Jesus in us and that you know Him more because of our time with you. This youth ministry was never about us - it's just about Jesus. This is our prayer for you:

¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:14-21

Thank you for being you.

To our college students - oh... our hearts ache leaving you. What a blessing life with you has been. We had no clue what God had planned for us when we risked starting a college ministry. We have never experienced "church" like we have on Wednesday nights with you - prayer for each other, caring for each other, honesty in its most raw form, and laughter like I've never known. We could have never imagined the community and love between such different individuals than we've experienced with you. The relationships and the community we have with you will be hard to match. Thank you for loving us. For sharing life with us. For volunteering your time and energy and life to love our church and students with us.  You have taught us more than words can explain. You are absolutely wonderful.

Our prayer for you - that you would live as crazy ambassadors for Jesus:

If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.¹⁴ Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. ¹⁵ He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

¹⁶ So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! ¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
¹⁸ And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. ¹⁹ For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. ²⁰ So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” ²¹ For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:13-21

We are beyond thankful for these silly faces: 

To the Connection ministry - My heart was to create unity within our church and within our community. I don't know if that happened completely, but learned so much and experienced so much joy working with the people who invested time in coming and serving the people of Troy. I am grateful for this ministry. Thank you so much to Robin who was my constant companion, friend, and fellow servant leader. I am thankful for you and praying as you continue to lead this charge! Thank you to Mrs. Pam, Mr. Gary, Jaleesa, Andrew, Jacob, Derrick, Samantha, and so many others who believed in the mission of simple meals and relationships.

Each person at Southside is so special to us. Our hearts are heavy as we think about leaving. I hope we can tell each person all that they mean to us. I just have to say a special thanks to the following people...  

To the Knicks... what we have done without you? 

Words cannot express what you mean to us - as our pastor and his family and as our best friends.  Thank you for always being there. Thank you for sharing life with us in Troy - the great, the good, and the ugly! So thankful we could always lean on each other... whatever was going on. So thankful for Sunday lunches together, week night dinners together, and being such a part of Parker's life. Thankful for Jacob and Andrew and the once-in-a-lifetime relationship they shared - hunting, fishing, ministry, and all the other guy stuff. Thank for pedicures, Bible studies, and support that I got to share with Kelli. We love you like family and would never let change hinder our relationship.  We love you so much and would NOT be who we are without you! We love you Knicks! 

To Judy - I would have never guessed the amazing friend/co-worker God would bless me with in you. Grateful to be able to interpret with you week in and week out at church. Thankful that we work together at Troy - I WOULD HAVE DIED WITHOUT YOU!!!  Thankful for the encouragement, laughter, understanding, kind words, passion, and truth you bring to my life. I know God is using and will continue to use you and your beautiful family! We love the Robertsons! 

And the last shout-out for this post is to The Motes! 

We love you Mrs. Wanda and Mr. Terry. We would have been lost without you.  Since DAY ONE you took us in. You let us know you were there and you weren't leaving. You spoke truth to us any time it was needed. You stuck by us no matter what was going on. You stepped in to make sure we were okay when our parents were miles away. You offered your home to us and the youth, you stood up for us in EVERY situation, you loved us extremely well, you prayed for us, encouraged us, came and fixed our AC, came and looked at houses with us, cried with us, laughed with us, went on every youth trip with us... WE WOULD BE LOST WITHOUT YOU!!! We are so thankful for you Motes... I can't even find the words. 

Thank you Southside. We love you and will forever be grateful for you.