December 5, 2007

Ask Anything Wednesday: Are There Other Ways to Help?

Since no one has asked me any questions for this week's Ask Anything Wednesday, I'm going to cheat and ask a question that I often hear. But there's no need to feel left out; leave a question in the comments section or e-mail me and I'll consider answering it next week.

Question:
"I'm glad to hear about your East African ministry. Are there other ways that I can help?"

Answer:
I love it when people ask questions like this--It shows me that they are interested in getting involved! Obviously, both prayer and financial support are crucial for the success of the Africa Center for Apologetics Research. But the sky's the limit in thinking of other ways to help.

Let me give a couple of examples. First, we can use donated frequent flier miles to keep our costs down. For a businessman that travels often, this is an easy way to help us greatly while costing him very little. My trip to Belize as well as my trip to Uganda were partially possible because of generous people who gave me their extra flier miles.

Second, one way that I am preparing for the mission field is by reading a lot of relevant material. While I recognize that most of my knowledge will come from living and serving in Uganda, I am striving to learn all that I can now. Buying books for me helps immensely. Check out my Amazon Wish List for a small sample of what I hope to read over the next several months.

These are simply two specific and practical ways that others can help my family. Feel free to come up with your own ideas. I'd love to hear about them!