Our LIFE Story
THIS ARTICLE IS A CONTINUATION OF OUR SERIES ON "WHY SHOULD I GIVE TO LIFE?"
If you have a question about LIFE, please email us at LIFE@araog.org.
We would love to hear from you!
QUESTION:
LIFE- WHAT IS IT?
ANSWER:
LIFE stands for Ladies Investing for Eternity. LIFE is the missions arm for the Women's Ministries Department of the Arkansas Assemblies of God. We exist to propel missionary families to their mission field by helping them set up their homes with household items.
QUESTION:
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? OUR WMS ALREADY GIVE TO MISSIONS- STL, LFTL, AND WE SUPPORT SEVERAL MISSIONARIES MONTHLY.
ANSWER:
To put it in simple words, LIFE meets the unmet needs.
When AG missionaries itinerate or travel from church to church they are doing a couple of things:
1. Sharing the vision of what God has called them to do.
2. Asking for prayer support from local congregations.
3. Asking for church and individuals to partner with them financially in order for their
missions budget to be raised.
Each missionary family is given a budget amount by the world missions office. This amount must be raised in commitments or pledges. The budget is divided into different accounts, such as work account, living expenses, emergency travel, etc. The missionary family is able to withdraw from these accounts while they are on the field. Withdrawals must be used for the purpose of the account they were put into. A small portion of their budget is put into an account for household items. Anything needed for the home comes from this account- refrigerators, furniture, appliances - small and large, and miscellaneous household items that could vary from country to country.
We have learned from our veteran missionaries that the amount put into a budget for their household items is small compared to the needs they face. Like we have stated in other posts, we cannot even begin to comprehend the cultural differences related to setting up a home in other countries. A $4,000 -$6,000 budge may seem like a lot of money. But imagine having to purchase a refrigerator, stove, washer/dryer, air purifier, water purifier, generator, and possibly even sinks and toilets. Depending on the region or country, a missionary family might even need to purchase cabinets, counters, light fixtures, or even doors. If the missionary is in a country with an unstable economy, prices can be astronomical for even the simplest of items.
LIFE wants to partner with our missionaries to help alleviate financial stress of setting up their home in a new place!
QUESTION:
WHY CAN’T THEY JUST TAKE EVERYTHING THEY NEED FROM THE STATES?
ANSWER:
If that were the case, their problems would be solved. Unfortunately, each missionary family has unique situations, again depending on where they will live. Sometimes a family will be able to pack a large shipping container filled with needed items. Sometimes even if their new country would allow that, the cost would be greater than purchasing new items. These decisions vary from missionary to missionary and are dependent upon a number of issues, such as sensitivity issues, visa restrictions, and even physical limitations such as cultural differences in electricity voltage, housing structures, etc.
If you have a question about LIFE, please email us at LIFE@araog.org.
We would love to hear from you!
