FAQs

In talking with different people I have learned they have many questions and different ideas about what serving as a career missionary involves. So I thought I would answer a few of the more common questions I get. 

What are you going to be doing there? 
Here is the official job description... 
Job Summary: Serve at Bethesda Hospital in the areas of midwifery and general nursing.  Part time teaching and mentoring Indonesian nurses and students formally and informally. Responsibilities: Care for patients in the obstetrics department. Assist in births. Teach staff. Improve quality control measures, establish training sessions. Care for general ward patients. Assist in disbursal of donated medical supplies. Teach several hours a week in the nursing school. Mentor nurses and nursing students. Supervise practical experience of MedGo student nurses.

You can read more about it, including seeing the job description in pictures in this blog post.

This job description has definitely gone through some edits since I arrived here to serve. Due to changing visa requirements and also current needs in the ministries here, I am serving primarily at Bethesda Nursing School, as a full-time teacher now. This is a 3-year program for your Indonesians who have just graduated from high school. Once they graduated many work at nearby government hospitals and clinics as well as several private hospitals in Indonesia. 

How long are you going for? I am serving in Indonesia as a career missionary. This means that for the foreseeable future I will be living and serving here. This is not a short-term trip. It is a long-term commitment and relationship. 

What is "support" and why do you have to raise it? Support is the funds I will need to meet my financial needs while I am serving in Indonesia. The hospital there will not be paying me a salary. This means I need to raise the funds to cover my living expenses (food, rent, utilities), ministry expenses, travel, medical and evacuation insurance, retirement, and social security, etc. This process is different from some mission organizations and non-profit companies who pay a stipend or salary to their employees. 

Who gives and why? Family, friends, and churches give to help meet my financial needs. People give for many reasons. Many churches give out of a sense of vision and mission to accomplish the Great Commission -- taking the love of God to the nations. For individuals, it usually starts with a relationship. Many partners also give out of a sense of gratitude to God for what he has done for them through Christ. Others give out of a sense of obedience to the call in 1 Corinthians 4:1 to fulfill our stewardship of the gospel. And many partners have a strong sense of passion to see the gospel spread among certain people groups (such as Indonesia) or through certain types of ministry (such as medical care).

How do you give? Financial support is given through WorldVenture, which makes it tax-deductible for the giver. It can be given as a special gift or as regular ongoing support that are called commitments. These commitments can be made to give monthly, quarterly, or annually. Some opt for streamlined giving which automatically deducts the amount from your checking account or credit card on the schedule you set-up. Others write a check and send it in on a regular schedule. Click here for more details and other ideas for partnership. 

Have other questions I haven't answered here. Send me an email.