Encouraging stories of fundraising Partners!

I want to share a story with all of you about fundraising and one of my partners. Fundraising and asking people to support me financially is one of the most challenging parts of my ministry with InterVarsity. Yet I believe it is both biblical and good for those who partner in this ministry. For it is a partnership in giving and receiving (Phil 4:15).
Here is a story of Gods provision in giving generously even in hard financial times.

Here are Nate and Tambra Schultz - 

Nate is wearing an InterVarsity (IV) shirt with our vision statement: 

Transform lives, Renew the Campus, develop World Changers.

These two love InterVarsity so much and are both IV alumni. Tambra graduated from UNC IV and Nate graduated from the same IV chapter as I did: Colorado School of Mines. 
Tambra shared how significant IV was in her faith to actually take God seriously and not just believe with words only. They also first met because of InterVarsity at Bear Trap Ranch at an InterVarsity summer Chapter Camp. Now they are happily married!

Here is a picture at a conference at Bear Trap Ranch.
Nate and I are going head to head in a tough game of broomball between worship sessions.

They are great examples of InterVarsity alumni who are world changers in the careers God gave them. Nate is an engineer and Tambra studied education but works at Accounts Receivable at Magnolia Hotel Denver. They are active members in their local church helping to start the high school youth group.

I was planning to contact them and have a meeting to ask them to support me, but their hearts are so generous that they set up their giving before I even had a chance to set up a meeting time! 

This past year in their partnership I have been blessed and here is part of their story in giving faithfully and sacrificially: 

When Nate went through a hard time at work and was down to half time work and pay they had to make hard decisions about money. They told me they thought about lowering their giving to my ministry and other causes they support. But instead they decided to give up personal things they considered selfish. As they are in their first few years of marriage savings and planning for a house is important and yet in this hard financial time they believed the work of missionaries was more important than their financial hard times. They didn't stop giving or even decrease their giving. 

And yet they said they were really blessed even in those hard financial times. God provided exactly what they needed for all their bills even as they gave sacrificially with just a little left over (reminds me of the feeding of the 4000 and 5000 with leftover crumbs in the gospels Mark 6 & 8).  Nate and Tambra's partnership and their story has really encouraged and blessed me.

I pray it also encourages all of us in giving sacrificially and trusting in God's provision even in hard times.