Is tentmaking missions just about being a self-supporting missionary like Paul, who financed his pioneering work at Corinth through his trade? Is it just about having a work visa so you can stay and serve in a certain country? What is the place of work in the life of a tentmaker? What is the relationship between work and mission--being light and salt and bringing Christ to the unreached?
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On the mission field, we were just doing what we loved to do—June as a homemaker and I as an engineer. We missed our families. But because my company was headquartered in the US, we could visit family on my business trips whenever June could come along. We have so much to be thankful for.
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Rosalie might not look like a missionary, but she knew she had a clear calling and God was her boss. Before she left, one of her mentees said, “Thank you for coming to our country to show us how to be an engineer.” The man was not yet a believer, but he saw how she lived and worked among them. Rosalie modeled a different way.
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In three years, Max's career took him through many turns from the Valley of Baca to a place of springs (Psalm 84:6).
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When we align our life with God's will, He will show us the way. Like John likes to put it, “All we do is make ourselves available–just show up.”
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Bob and Sabrina went to Asia with a heart to serve young people. At the university where Bob teaches, some of his students are from Muslim countries where economic hardships and even civil war are part of life. Quite a few of these bright young people are suffering PTSD symptoms from the violence and loss of loved ones back home. Bob and his wife Sabrina reached out and became their unofficial host family.
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March is Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate women’s contributions, large and small, to make life better for others. Today, we give thanks for our female tentmakers and associates.
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Declan and Ruby love an adventure. In 30+ years of marriage, they lived in three countries, and traveled to over 80 cities. They became Christians in college, always active in lay ministry and short-term missions. In 2003, they moved to China, a tentmaking family with three young boys, one modest salary, and many unknowns.
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Christ-followers are called to live a purposeful life that honors God (1 Peter 2:9). Sometimes we may feel lost and wish we had a clear invitation from God: a Macedonian call for what to do with our lives.
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Katy is a professional violinist called to serve God in East Asia. When the COVID outbreak closed all doors back to the field since spring break in 2020, Katy looked for other service opportunities, and took up a six-month short-term assignment in Central Asia in January 2021. Loving it there, she is staying on until the Lord redirects her. Little did she know Kazakhstan would hit the headlines a year later in political turmoil.
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Jeremy was a freshman in our 2002 student summer program in China. It opened his eyes to serving overseas. He explored many options for going to China while serving on the missions committee of his home church. But nothing panned out.
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Joe grew up a typical pastor’s kid. But when he got into a prestigious med school after rejections by all others that he applied to, he knew God had a plan for him.
Read MoreA Long But Rewarding Journey
By the time Dave and Elsie got married, they were certain about their call to bi-vocational missions.
During Dave’s post-doc years, he underwent additional training in a related field to broaden his career options. His mentor connected him to an opportunity to consult for an international organization on their China projects. Dave and Elsie began to pray for an overseas assignment with this organization. They were headed in the right direction, but there were many bureaucratic obstacles.
Read MoreSpring of 2011, first year out of college, Jane was sent by her company to China on a 3-month rotation. Within a few weeks, she had led her language tutor and her masseuse to Christ. They brought their friends and cousins to cook dinner and study the Bible together at Jane’s apartment every Thursday night. Some of the women were young professionals like Jane. In time, many more of them came to faith.
Read MoreLee’s call to tentmaking took ten years to materialize. He left China at age 3, and returned at age 18, his freshman summer on our student exchange program. Lee knew then and there that he must go back.
Read MoreLooking back, Tom recalls a persistent urge to go to China for the past 20 years. After graduating from college, he spent a few years in the military which allowed him to live in Japan and Korea. Wherever he went, he tried to share God’s love, but a constant pull to China remained in his heart.
Read MoreIt all started when Lance and Laura went on their first missions trip more than ten years ago. They were both in marketing when they caught the vision of working as professionals in China. While they tried to figure out how to merge their career and calling, they kept the vision alive by sharing their experience with others.
Read MoreCommon interests draw people together. So it is not surprising that many meet their other half while studying in college. Similarly, many GoLiveServe alumni also found their mate while participating on a short term project or getting involved in missions.
What better way to find another person of similar interest and calling than by serving the God that you love and doing the things that He has placed on your heart? The journey of others may also shed light on your journey!
Read MoreBob and Linda love China and are passionate about reaching the lost. For many years, they have been active in working with foreign students and in praying for the country. Bob is a clinical psychologist and Linda has extensive experience in business. Both are seasoned professionals who have the language and ministry skills to serve others. After years of professional training and preparation, and now that their children are grown, they seized the opportunity to realize their dream of serving overseas.
Read MoreJeff was born in New Jersey, but grew up in Hong Kong. Then his folks moved to California, where he finished high school. While his older sister felt a calling to serve in China and pursued a career there, Jeff liked California. He never imagined that he too would end up working in China, loving it, and serving in a local church. How did it all happen?
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