As I spoke with Karen,* a Wycliffe missionary who served as a translator overseas for over thirty years and now fills a key support role here in the United States, her voice filled with emotion.
Karen told me about an inheritance she would soon receive and about a missionary couple raising support to go overseas. She wanted to help them follow God’s calling just as someone had helped her many years earlier.
“What kind of charitable fund would be best in this situation?” Karen asked me. Karen wanted to give an initial gift, followed by monthly financial support, so we discussed her options and the benefits of creating a missionary support plan with the Wycliffe Foundation, using a donor-advised fund.
I also learned that Karen had been supporting three other missionaries for several years through monthly gifts.
“Could I include them in this process?” Karen wondered aloud.
We talked about amounts and her ultimate goals for the resources God had entrusted to her care. It was all doable—she could make all of the gifts she needed through a Wycliffe Foundation donor-advised fund.
As we discussed the details and collaborated with her financial planner, Karen’s excitement grew. “Let’s do it! It makes me feel like I can have my cake and eat it too!”
Once the plan was in motion, Karen signed the documents and funded the agreement with appreciated stock. Her missionary colleagues left for the field with the support they needed; the monthly partnership with her long-term friends was increased; and long-range planning with her retirement assets was updated!
How would you like to make a gift today that would enable you to designate support for a Wycliffe missionary and make charitable gifts in the future? Karen wanted to model good stewardship and invest in the lives of the next generation of translators through her obedience to God’s call on her heart. Her missionary support plan and donor-advised fund enabled her to accomplish those goals and give generously, both now and later!
*Not her real name, but a true story.
