Questions we were asked...
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 @ 6:51 PM
A supporter of ours asked us some questions about our ministry for a college class, and we thought we would share some of the answers.1. Name, where and how you serve.
Dennis & Sarah Crissman
We are currently raising support to work with HCJB Global as Software Developers. There is currently a great need on the missions field for "support missionaries", specifically with technical skills, and we feel that we can help fill that gap. Our skills will be used in many areas of the ministry: building webpages, working on financial systems, and ultimately facilitating communications between "front-line" missionaries and their family, friends, supporters, and missions organization.
2. When and how did God confirm your call to missions?
It's kind of funny, God called both of us, but in very different ways. Sarah grew up hearing about Nate Saint and other missionary heros and had a heart from an early age to dedicate her life to the missions field. Dennis on the other hand, knew that he wanted to use his computer skills for God's kingdom, but for missions was the furthest thing from his mind. As our relationship developed and we were married, our passions merged into a united dream to dedicate our careers and life together for God's kingdom in the area of Software Development.
3. What has surprised you so far? (that you didn't foresee in your initial dreams)
As we all learned in Sunday School, all followers of Christ have been called to serve in missions in one way or another, at home or in a distant land. Yet in the back of our minds we all are waiting for some bright light showing us where and how. What was surprising for us is when we figured out that regardless of how we may or may not feel called, if we go and serve God will use us. Have you ever heard of someone working in a soup kitchen or going on a missions trip and come back only to say how awful it was? No, it is always how awesome it was to see God move and work through them and how changed they feel.
4. So far, how have you seen lives affected positively by your "yes" to missions?
While still in College, Sarah spent a summer in Ecuador with HCJB Global (then HCJB World Radio). She had the opportunity to visit a remote hospital that was badly in need of a system for keeping medical records, as everything up until that point had been kept in paper notebooks. Sarah was able to use her technical skills to build a series of Excel spreadsheets that could be utilized to better keep and maintain these records. Although to her it seemed like a simple project, it had a huge impact on the hospital staff and in turn, the patients they served.
5. What kind of education was necessary?
All missionaries with HCJB Global are required to have 16 Bible credits, so far we both have 8. In our case, we both had four years of college for software development and a number of years of professional experience in the business world. There was also some general training that the organization gives to new appointees (missionaries accepted into the organization, but that are still raising financial support).
6. Who or what helped you prepare for missions?
We have both been on short term (3-month) mission trips to Ecuador with HCJB Global before we were married. While there we stayed with missionary families and got a taste of what real missionaries were like. Not in a church for some presentation, but the real life.
7. What misconceptions have you had to overcome?
* You do not have to be a super-Christian to be a missionary.
* Being a missionary is not necessarily going to some foreign land and doing without modern convinces and healthcare. Some missionaries live very comfortably. Being a missionary does require some sacrifices, but that doesn't mean that the missionary is unhappy or miserable under those conditions. Ever meet a miserable missionary? It is not because they are pretending to be happy, the Lords work can be tough, but is also fulfilling in ways that cannot be explained.
* Like in a musical, not all missionaries can be on stage, some have to be behind the scenes running the lights and moving the props, and that is ok. We are all a single body made up of many parts, we must all do our parts for the show to go on.
8. What is a favorite scripture?
Dennis:
Revelation 3:20 - Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Sarah:
Matthew 17:20 "... I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Focus for our ministry:
Romans 12:4-6 "Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us."
9. Who is your own missionary hero?
Dennis:
Jeff Ingram - An average missionary husband and father of the family I stayed with in Ecuador. He had his struggles and faults but the Lord used him each and everyday through radio broadcasts to reach countless lives for Christ. His life and family was and continues to be an inspiration to me.
Sarah:
Nate Saint - Missionary pilot and member of the well-known team of missionaries martyred in Ecuador whose stories were told in Through the Gates of Splendor and End of the Spear. He had a gift of ingenuity that allowed him to develop techniques for using his airplane to serve other missionaries and to reach the unreached. Certainly not the most famous member of the team but, like all of the members, played a key role in the ministry.
10. Any other experiences or thoughts?
A small, but huge and humbling life lesson we have learned...
God couldn't care less what we know or don't know, what we can do or cannot do, or what we or anyone else thinks of us.
God is not looking for our skills, but us.
God Bless.
