We are all celebrating here at Three Worlds about the Oldhams receiving 100% of their support! This means that soon the Oldhams will be on a plane to Egypt and will officially be over here working for our Three World objectives. Ken and Keli worked very hard to raise their funds. Over the past few months, Ken has been traveling tirelessly sharing about their passion of the Egypt and talking about the 3W vision.
The other side of the story is YOU! The churches and individuals who have made this happen (and make Three Worlds happen!). There were churches making room in their budgets despite the budgets being fixed, there were commitments made on faith, there were individuals sacrificing during a recession, there were churches that are already supporting 3W personnel and added one more family because they believe in what we are doing and in the Oldhams, and lots of others that have made pledges.
As I was sharing recently, the fundraising process is boot-camp. It is a giant leap of faith. You don't have a job, insurance, and you have to spend your time on the road never knowing if the long 8 hour drive will lead to a new partner or a rejection. Your support plateaus at some point (maybe 10%), and all the while you long to just get on the field to do your work. Even Jamie and I still have to do this even though we are Regional Coordinators. So we are all utterly dependent on your generosity. It is humbling, it is challenging, and I think ultimately, if you are the right person for the job, it is refining.
All of us over here in Europe and the M.E. are very excited to have the Oldhams here. Please pray for their transition, especially for the children. Our team is prepared to love on them and give them a whole lot of support. The kids are going to have lots of "3W Aunties and Uncles" looking after them. And we have plans in the works to expand the level of care and love that we can give our 3W kids.
Last night as we waited to get the final results (the push over 100%), it felt like waiting for electoral votes on election night. When word came through at about 11PM Berlin time we celebrated. The Oldhams are still not done fundraising however, as our goals it reach 110% which is very important because there has to be a protection against shortfalls and also schooling expenses for the kids. So there's still room to continue giving, but there is enough to get them on their way.
Of course, this is only the beginning of the adventure--one that will have many twists and turns. Our hope is that 3W's system will be the shock absorbers that will enable the Oldhams and the next generation of leaders to handle the challenges that come along with greater support and ease. Thank you for coming along for the ride.