Maria #245DO 29626/94

—By Maria

(Some YAs have been involved in this pioneer fund-raising ministry. They are the proof of the pudding that our Family works, & people are wonderfully impressed with our young people. Of course, the fund-raising ministry isn't for everyone, but some YAs have found it to be very challenging & exciting! Praise the Lord! On this subject‚ Mama commented:)

1. I think that some of our YAs could be some of the best fund raisers of all. They have the enthusiasm, the freshness, the life, the performance capabilities, the innocence, & the youth that will appeal to people who want to make their money count.

2. Older people are very reluctant to disappoint young people who ask them for help. They know that society has failed with most of their young people, because if they aren't in trouble—on drugs, into crime, vandalism, gangs, etc.—they're usually living for themselves, very selfish, shallow & foolish lives. Therefore‚ people are quite pleasantly surprised to see young people who are helping others & trying to change the World for the better. They may not so much like the idea of their being missionaries, but the fact that they are trying to do something worthwhile is very heartwarming. It's very encouraging for people to see that not all young people are problem cases, & they haven't all gone to the dogs, so to speak. And I think if people would see that our YAs are not only trying to raise funds for themselves & their own missionary work, but also for the entire Family, their younger brothers & sisters & their moms & dads & their whole mission field, this would seem quite amazing to them.

3. After all‚ our YAs have a right to raise funds for the Family if that is the ministry they've chosen. They are of age. They are adults‚ & they can be engaged in any job they wish. By the age of 18 you're supposed to have made up your mind what you want to do with your life; & if this is the ministry they've chosen‚ not only to be missionaries but to do missionary fund raising, this should touch some folks quite deeply.

4. Of course, we usually have the problem that we aren't registered & we don't have tax deduction numbers, but the Lord can take care of that, & I'm sure we can work around it. If people are sold enough on our kids, they will give in spite of our not being registered.

5. All our folks worldwide should be trying to get letters from their friends which would be good references for our YAs. In other words, they should have professionals & academics write letters of recommendation: "To whom it may concern: We recommend the young people of The Family to you. These are some of the finest teens we have ever met. They are dedicating their lives to helping others. The Family is engaged in missionary work worldwide, working to try to help others both physically & spiritually; & they are worth helping financially, so that they can continue their work," etc.‚ etc.

6. You YAs could make appointments with the wealthy, & two or three of you could go to visit these people, armed with a PR brochure, a guitar, photos, referrals or reference letters, stats on the terrible state of teens at large nowadays, etc. You could practise in advance some songs that would appeal to the person you are going to see‚ according to his particular interests. You could offer to pray for him & whatever his problems happen to be. You could go in actually wanting to witness & to minister.—Not only asking for help, but asking what you can do to help the person you're witnessing to.

7. Another very powerful presentation would be for individual YAs & teens to give your own appeal for support. You could prepare individual appeal letters with your picture & an explanation of what you do & how the person you're witnessing to could be of help. Or you could do the same on video, by having little video spots where some of the YAs & teens in your Home or Area explain their work & request help.

8. A sample explanation & appeal could be something like the following: "My name is So–&-so. I'm working in Thailand with a team of other young people. We are making regular trips to see the Karen tribes, who have been displaced from Burma & who are now located on the Thai border. These people are extremely needy & in a desperate situation. We gathered supplies & distributed them among these people. We drove 12 hours to reach them & gave classes to the young people & children who were so hungry for our help & fellowship that they begged us with tears in their eyes not to leave. These people desperately need our help‚ but in order to visit them more frequently, we need two vans & camping equipment. We also need two electric guitars with sound equipment to be able to sing to the hundreds of folks who gather when we are there. We also need finances to help cover our personal expenses."

9. Here's another example of what somebody else could say: "I live in Recife, Brazil, with other missionary co-workers. We are ministering to the dear Brazilian people who are very eager for & in need of God's peace & Love. There is a terrible problem here in Recife, in fact, in all of Brazil‚ with thousands of street children roaming the streets. They have no homes, nowhere to go. Here, we are finding that these kids can be given the opportunity to have secure & productive lives through coming to know God & His Love. We need financial help to be able to continue to try to help these lost kids. Our missionaries do not receive a salary, so they depend on donations from people like you to cover their personal living expenses so they can devote their time to helping others."

10. You young people could write or talk about your ministry, whatever it is, & what you are doing to help change the World. You could tell some of the testimonies of the people you have helped & what those folks have said to you. It would be quite powerful.

11. Even you YAs who work right in the Homes as a kitchen overseer or in charge of a childcare group could have some tremendous testimonies. You could say something like: "At our missionary base I am in charge of caring for the 4- & 5-year-olds. I have learned that it takes great dedication, but I have found that putting my heart into moulding little lives & giving them a good foundation for the future is worth it. My missionary co-workers & I are helping to make the World a better place by putting everything we can into our little ones, to train them for the future when they can be a help to others & be role models for the World." These testimonies could be very interesting. You could bring out some of the contrasts of children in the World‚ so many of whom are left in dubious daycare most of their young years, or abandoned etc., & how they grow up to be a detriment to society.

12. Another teen or YA could give a testimony about being a kitchen overseer in a missionary base of 35 people‚ & some of the difficulties & also funny things that happen. You could explain how this training is invaluable in our ministries of disaster relief & organization of refugees, because "with the training I've had I can be ready to assist as a humanitarian worker at any time. I also feel very challenged as I know I am helping to make it possible for my missionary co-workers to operate efficiently & effectively. As the old saying goes, 'An army runs on its stomach!'" etc., etc.

13. If you wanted to, you could even include little personal stats or information about yourself, such as how many countries you've lived in, how many languages you speak, how many brothers & sisters you have‚ what kind of jobs & skills you have, what musical instruments you play‚ if you sing & perform, what special project(s) you're interested in, what your specific goals are, etc.