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Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions people ask as well as some questions which people are afraid to ask. Just click the question to jump down to the answer.
You can make this page more helpful by emailing us any of your questions.
What is the pool system?
How does a faith promise work?
How do I sign up be a part of your team?
What if something happens and I can’t fulfill my faith promise?
Why do you have to raise so much money?
Do I need to wait for a reply card before sending in my next donation?
Can I make a donation to you using my credit card?
What happened to your Ukraine plans?
Why does Alaska need missionaries?
What kind of impact is SEND having in Alaska?
Why are you still on home service?
What do you do on home service?
Should I continue to give while you are on home service?
What is the pool system?
No, it is not what missionaries use to cool off. This is how SEND International provides stability to missionaries’ pay checks and on field accounts. Each region of SEND has their own financial pool that holds the money for paychecks, projects, work expense, etc. Each missionary gets paid the same amount according to the local cost of living and the size of their family (even the Director of the mission). So how does this effect the Carlsons? It is a known fact that giving to missions is sporadic. This financial system allows us not to worry about money because all the missionaries in Alaska are standing together with us. However, if our support gets too low, it will deplete the resources that everyone relies upon. This is why we track the giving of our faith promise supporters. Also, if several missionaries from Alaska are under supported for too long, everyone in Alaska may have to take a pay cut. No one wants that so we work on keeping our support on target.
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How does a faith promise work?
This is our term for a pledge. We call it faith promise because that is what it is…making a promise based on faith in God’s provision. Let’s face it, we don’t know what will happen tomorrow let alone five years from now. However, God clearly says in his Word (2 Corinthians 9) that when anyone starts giving to His Kingdom, He will provide for their needs and also provide more resources for them to give away.
So, a faith promise is when one fills out a form to give a set amount on a regular basis. For example: $50 a month, $150 a quarter, $600 a year, etc… A faith promise lasts a minimum of one term of service (four years on field and through our home-service/ furlough which is five years in total). When we talk about our need we break it down in monthly terms, but it can be given at different times. When we have enough people promising to give to cover our needs, then we can leave for the field.
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How do I sign up be a part of your team?
There is the low tech and high tech way. High tech is to fill out our web form. After you do so, we will email you directions on mailing in your gift. (Our mission is working on a way to be able to do both at one time.) The lower tech option is to print out a faith promise form and mail it to the listed address with your donation. You can give a gift directly to us using a credit card on SEND's web site. Right now that does require filling out a seperate form online.
What if something happens and I can’t fulfill my faith promise?
Our first word of advice is to really pray about that. God is able to provide what you need and to provide “seed for sowing” (Paul’s term for financial gifts in 2 Corinthians 9:10-11). If one can’t give for a month or so, that is okay. Really…no guilt trip!! Give when you can. If you can make up your lost months, that would be great. However, if you can’t don’t let it hang over your head. Just pick up again when you are able. If you need to cancel your pledge because you can’t give any more, we understand. God has an amazing ability to provide for our needs! If you find yourself in any of these kinds of situations please communicate that to us. First, and foremost, we want to pray for you! Second, we have to keep track of our faith promise donations and your communication with us makes that much easier.
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Why do you have to raise so much money?
Right now we have to raise over $80,000 a year. No one is getting rich off this money. SEND International reports to the ECFA (Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability). The reality is that this much money is a modest estimate of what is needed to get the job done. It includes much more then just our paycheck. Explaining this kind of thing is best left to the experts …so here is a link to SEND’s brochure that explains all. If you have still have questions after reading that, please don’t hesitate to ask! We can always find the answer if we don’t know it.
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Do I need to wait for a reply card before sending in my next donation?
The first time you make a donation to us you need to mail in your intial pledge form, or fill out our web form. After this point, the mission has you in their system, and you can simply mail in your donation. When you do so, it is good habit to include a note with our missionary number 14551. For SEND Intenational's mailing address go to our contact page. SEND only mails out receipts with response envelopes once or twice a year since it is so costly and time consuming.
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Can I make a donation to you using my credit card?
Yes, now you may do so at SEND International's website. Right now you can only make one donation at a time. You can follow this link directly to our donation page. They are working on a system to allow you to automatically make regular contributions via credit card. Hopefully that will be up by the summer of 2010. If you want your credit card donation to go to a special project like our set up fund, you need to indicate that in the notes section of that website.
What happened to your Ukraine plans?
We stepped out in faith believing that Ukraine was the destination God wanted. We worked on raising support and all our efforts hit a wall time after time. In the beginning of 2009 we fasted for 40 days to really seek God and to ask Him to bring in our support by the summer. When that did not come together, Laura and I were really wondering what God was up to. God opened the door to move to Minnesota to continue raising support and get some training. A month after we moved is when we were asked to consider returning to radio ministry in Alaska.
We set out praying with all of our support team and it just became clearer and clearer this was the direction to take. Hindsight makes me truly believe this was God's original plan. We needed to disconnect from Alaska for God to work in ourselves and possibly the ministry to which we are now returning. Time will tell, but we look forward to the ministry that now is before us. We never lost our heart for the people of the "last frontier".
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Why does Alaska need missionaries?
Alaska is a part of the United States and it has a very small population. The Church is present in Alaska. It does cost more money to live and to send missionaries to our 49th state. For these reasons many people question the validity of this missionary endevor. However, there is so much more then meets the eye. The native communities in Alaska have a completely different culture and values. They associate Jesus with the American Government and all the atrocities they have expereinced. The caucasans living in Alaska also see themselves as not needing "the crutch of religion". They will only listen to people who are "from here" who have earned their trust. Alaska is 2.5 times larger then texas and is populated mostly by small villages or people living alone in the wilderness. The picture in the upper left of this page is Alaska to scall against the rest of the country. The only way to get to most of these people is by small plane which is costly to opperate. The believers in Alaska can't possibly reach everyone without outside help. Also consider the fact that in scripture God shows extra concern for those who are rejected or fogotton by society. Alaska is 'the ends of the earth' and is filled with 'the least of these'. I believe that in God's economy Alaska is a high prority.
What kind of impact is SEND having in Alaska?
Lives are being changed by the power of God. However, it does take time because it takes time to build trust. It took over 30 years of ministry with Alaskan Natives before a white missionary couple was finally seen as "one of us". Follow this link to see just a few of these stories of ministry impact.
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Why are you still on home service?
SEND International firmly believes that when God wants any missionary to leave for the field, they will be at 100% support. We can not leave until that happens. This home service has been a challenge because we have done everything one can do to raise support. For a while we were frustrated over this, but God has made it clear to us that He is bringing us along at His pace and guiding our steps. So, we are working toward leaving and prayerfully walking by faith.
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What do you do on home service?
The short answer is raise our support and present on God’s work around the world. The longer answer is working to find new people who want to hear about God’s work through SEND International in Alaska. That is… calling churches / praying / talking to Pastors / praying / finding people to host a presentation in their home / praying and fasting / writing newsletters / fasting and praying / doing presentations / praying some more / creating and updating www.carlsons.info / writing in our blog (okay, that one is harder for me to keep up with, but I am working on it) / pray pray pray / trying to meet new people through our facebook group “SENDing the Carlsons”./ and in case we hadn’t done enough of it yet….pray.
It ultimately is about building a network of like minded people to advance the Kingdom of God! It certainly is not about using sales tactics or pressuring people. 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 makes that clear. Building our support team is done when people we know assist us by introducing us to other like minded people. We can’t do any of this alone. It is God working through all of us! We really do consider our prayer and financial supporters a part of our team. We try to connect with each person according to their comfort level.
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Should I continue to give while you are on home service?
Yes…Please. We still are getting paid to raise support and spread missions awareness. We are very thankful for this because raising support and working full time would not be easy! If our support gets below what we are using, it will adversely affect the Alaska field and all of our fellow missionaries. As we explained in the question about the “pool system”…we are all in this together. If you can’t continue to give please refer to that question above.