Of course it is the job of those giving the presentation to sell us property. We were duped into believing it would only take 90 minutes of our time, which in reality stretched to occupy the entire morning. It was still worth it to us. After we declined to purchase with the first salesman, we were approached by a second, and then before we got our "prize" (tickets to the show we wanted to attend), we were subjected to one final sales pitch by yet a third person.
What none of the three could comprehend was the extent to which our life is not our own, and to which our finances are not ours to spend as we wish. We have turned over all our rights and deeds to the cause of the gospel. I'm sure we were a sore disappointment to all involved that we did not sign on the dotted line in Puerto Vallarta.
Since Saturday I have been mulling over the thought of how these high pressure sales people rope unsuspecting people into spending the family fortune on future vacations they may or may not ever take. What they say actually makes sense in terms of "saving" money on airfare and lodging, but as my dad always used to say, "You are never 'saving' money as long as you are spending it." I would lie if I said we weren't tempted.
My secret wish is that we had some gentle, non-pushy people who believed in our ministry enough to go to bat to find "investors" for us like that. I know it sounds silly, but honestly I sometimes think if we could only find a way to present what we do in the right light that people would gladly invest in the future harvest here in Oaxaca. How can we do that, though?
The world's way of offering free tickets and cash and other incentives goes contrary to our belief structure. We can't bribe people to come to Oaxaca on a vision trip, offering them fun romantic evenings on the beach just so they will become financial partners in our ministry. Yet the way we have been doing it - staying very low key, apologetically mentioning finances very occasionally, and hoping and praying that people will magically give when needed.... seems ineffective somehow.
I don't know. There are ministries out there who hire marketing people to handle these decisions. I suppose that works. For us, the question is, are we naive to just trust and obey? Is that old-fashioned in today's economy? Should we make up fancy proposals and try to convince people that what we are doing is worthwhile?
A business-minded friend once suggested we treat our ministry more as a business. Maybe we should. If you have any suggestions, we are open to hear them. Meanwhile, we continue to be faithful, trying not to panic over donors who stop giving and over the expenses that are rising.
Most of all, we vow to not feel guilty over taking a honeymoon after 27 years, even though a skeptical friend questioned the wisdom of posting beach and marina photos of Puerto Vallarta on our Facebook and blog pages.
People may get the wrong idea, it's true; but if they do, well, they are mistaken!
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| No, we didn't buy a yacht either |
