Dear readers of Adventist Frontiers and donors to AFM,

Recently, we received a letter from an AFM missionary on our pledge list saying that pledged donations had fallen off more than $2,000, so I decided to write this letter sharing a recent experience our family had in trying to stay faithful with our monthly pledges.

My wife and I have been AFM donors for a number of years. I have always believed that a pledge of support to God is backed by the Bank of Heaven. My pledge to God is not me promising mine, but faith in God promising His.

With that understanding, I ventured to pledge $20 per month for an AFM missionary family we know. When a former student of mine and his wife joined AFM and began fundraising, we pledged another $20 to their support. Then an AF article explaining the importance of AFM’s GO Fund moved me to pledge another $20. Later, a former work associate of mine joined AFM, so we added another $20, bringing our total pledges to $80 a month. We renew our pledges every year, because God says in His Word, “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for [he hath] no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou has vowed. Better [is it] that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay” (Eccl. 5:4, 5 KJV).

We have found that, though our effective income has been reduced, God has not left us to do this alone. My wife is a nurse, and occasionally she must work on Sabbath. We felt troubled because of her pay for Sabbath work until we found counsel in Medical Ministry, p. 216. We began consecrating her Sabbath income to our family’s benevolent fund, which we created for the purpose. This has been scary at times because it comes out of our regular income. It is a delight, however, because we can use it to help those in need. The practice has forced us to be more careful in spending and to forgo certain comforts and conveniences. When my wife was recently moved to the day shift, thus losing her night-shift differential, our pledge to AFM became a real test of faith and commitment.

This last payday had a Sabbath workday, so quite a bit went to the benevolent fund. We paid our tithe and regular offerings and laid aside the benevolent-fund money. Our food and household supplies had all run low at once, so our grocery bill was more than usual. Then some unplanned trips to town ate up still more of our check. When the dust settled and we sat down to pay the bills, we had a little more than $200. I had not yet opened the electric bill and phone bill, but I knew we would be way short. The electric bill is usually $200 to $400, and sometimes more. The phone bill is over $70. And then there was our $80 AFM pledge.

I had decided on who would get how much and in what order—AFM, then phone, then the garbage bill, then whatever was left for the electric bill. What about gas to get to work? We’ll figure that out later.

We paid AFM, then we opened the phone bill and paid that. Then we opened the electric bill. Surprise—$127! We were able to pay all our bills except one: $20 to my daughter for a monthly service their family provides. She understood, but I was disappointed. Later that day I received an unexpected $20. A few days later, another $30 came our way. A woodcutting trip with our daughter’s family had been planned for this week, and I had wondered how we were going to get gas for the chainsaw.

We have found that after returning the Lord’s tithe and keeping our pledge of support for His workers, He is faithful to provide for all our needs. Jesus keeps His promises so we can keep ours.

Remembering His goodness,

A donor whose faith has been strengthened

P.S. If you print this letter, please do not include my name, because this is not about us, it is about Him and His faithfulness.

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