Diane Needed to "Grow a New Brain" |
Mar 31, 2011 |
Greetings! For my next several posts I've asked various ministry leaders to blog about their experience connected with the Mission Increase Foundation (MIF). I talk about MIF all the time so I thought you might be interested to hear the perspective of others. One note... It is important that you understand that these posts are not about the specific work of MIF, but are about the specific work of God through MIF. Big difference in my mind because it's always about Him! We're just glad to be along for the ride!
This post is from Diane Swanson, the Director of Teen Challenge Home of Hope Women's Center - their website is Right Here! Take it away Diane...!
After spending 20 years working in the medical field as a nurse, I risked a major career change to join Teen Challenge and start a new center for women and their children called the Home of Hope. God took me out of everything familiar and “challenged” me to trust Him and to be completely dependent upon Him. As a nurse I was used to NOT thinking about money, knowing that a personal paycheck and other necessary resources would be there when I needed them. Now, with Teen Challenge, God was asking me to not only facilitate a new program, but to raise the funds for it too. The problem: I was NOT a fundraiser. I had no clue what that even looked like. I needed to grow a new brain in the area of fundraising.
My boss set me up with several opportunities to learn fundraising principles and some of the instructors even included an occasional scripture verse and talked about Biblical examples. But after all the classes, I'm sorry to say I still felt inadequate in many ways. I felt fundraising was more like begging or that if I asked someone for money I was not actually trusting God for provision. I took my inadequacies to God and He answered my prayer… I discovered the Mission Increase Foundation.
For the first 8-12 months of attending MIF classes, I would walk out having experienced a paradigm shift in my thinking. Skeptically, I would walk into the classroom thinking, "What could this possibly teach me? I mean this workshop is on gifts-in-kind!" and BAM! God would rock my thinking. God was growing me a new brain, literally, and through scriptural principles that I could actually apply.
Three years later I am still attending MIF classes with my staff so we can constantly learn together. Our team seeks to live out MIF's Transformational Giving Principles and understands that fundraising is about a lot more than raising money; God wants us to make disciples of the people He has blessed us with!
Thanks for the opportunity to share and to God be the glory!
Diane Swanson
Apr 5, 2011 at 10:41 AM I couldn't agree more! Thanks for the encouragement. This is an area that is not my "natural" inclination, either, and God is showing me that He can use me and the ministry at Hope Women's Center to not only change the lives of women and teen girls in need but to disciple the Body, as well. Thank you for walking ahead of me!
Apr 5, 2011 at 3:48 PM Diane and Terry, so glad to be on this journey with you!
Apr 11, 2011 at 1:45 PM Well put, Diane! When we first started attending, Jonathan frequently told us that MIF considered it necessary to spend about 18 months in training to "fully" get it! I'm sure that's an estimate, but my point - We have found great value in the long-term training relationship that MIF has offered us as we, too, grow new brains!
Apr 26, 2011 at 7:43 AM Making these transitions is not easy. As you, and we, get pushed out of our paradigm, we need to change. A key part of that change is obtaining wise council, especially in areas we need to grow. Mission Increase is a key part of that growth for many of us. Thanks for sharing your story, and thanks to Jonathan for being one of our counselors.
Apr 26, 2011 at 7:57 AM Thanks for the words, Steve, and grateful for the work God is doing through you as well! Look forward to connecting soon up in God's country - Anthem!