Small Stuff

As we have begun the journey in raising awareness for the new ministry – Ontario Provincial Chaplaincy… I have been in contact with a many of my friends. There has been a definite ground swell of interest. I am amazed at what is happening and very grateful. Money has come into the ‘ministry’ but not to us personally.

(Side note – as many have been following this thread of a new ministry…money in my own pocket now is a problem until the E.I. is set the way it should be. Yesterday I could report that I have actually NOT received any money yet. When that begins happening it will change I am sure.)

At this stage it is like writing a huge amount of Resumes to dozens of people and companies. Then I sit and wait. But waiting is good of me… I think.

There is a promise and a hope – in waiting. It is in waiting that good stuff will come from it all.

A long time ago Alida used to make Bread…just like my grandma did. The kitchen was filled first with the smell of flour…then the yeast… then the sound of the water being poured into the big mixing bowl with the flour & mixture on the bottom….the yeast with its strong smell was brought into the mixture. Most importantly there was the wait. Then grandma would take the cover off the huge ball of dough and beat it… with her fists… sometimes letting grandsons help…then wait some more…

Each step was a small part of whole that made delicious bread. And if you waited for the full stage to take place and the hot oven to produce the wonderful smelling bread – the treat was all yours….one huge and heavily cut piece of fresh bread cut…covered with butter and smeared with fresh strawberry jam…. Mmmm Mmmm…good!

Small stuff matters to help big stuff take place. One of my close friends felt badly because they could not do something big to help us financially. Yet when we looked at it together… they are doing far more with small stuff... listening…caring…just being there for us.

Small stuff matters.

I received an email from a very old friend that promised to let us have $20 when she gets it. She is as old as me…unemployed… and in a remote area where jobs are not a lot. But she wanted to do something for the possible ministry building…someday…something small…

Small stuff is Big Stuff when God gets a hold on it. An old song said “Little is much when God is in it….” Our old friend in Walkerton, Ontario by the name of June Reuber was the only one that could sing that song… and oh it touched my soul back then. Because that was all we had was little…

Oh I have millionaire friends. They are great folk. And no... they have been very careful with their money.... No contributions yet…

But the ones that really count are the tons of little guys and gals that have made a difference.

I made some quick calculations when setting up a small plan for donations. If we can raise the awareness enough… getting just 2 people in each Ontario Government Elected official’s constituency… to give $38 per month or $456 over a whole year… that would provide exactly what is needed to do the work. There are 107 elected leaders, times 2, times $38, times 12 months. This would meet the budget that is set for us. It would cover a salary for Alida and me. It would cover office material and equipment and the tons of travel, telephone calls and all the rest it takes in a Province wide ministry. It would then possibly allow hiring more staff as well… then there is a place to stay in Toronto… sheesh this is like being a politician! Asking for more money and then spending it before I get it….?!

When I talked with my mom about this her reaction was fascinating. She believes in her son but had some good words for me! She said, “Whatever you do to get your support, don’t get all old people…they will die on you!”

Mom is 87 years old. And she pointed to her own situation when she said I know I don’t have a long time left….

She told me of one of her sisters that was supported as a missionary by a considerable number of older people. In fact that was where mom drew her illustration from. Most of these older people my aunt and uncle had supporting them died about the same time. When they died – so did their money.

I know a church where that has happened too.

Another older person suggested the best route to go… “Many hands make the burden lighter.” His suggestion was that perhaps by spreading the whole budget out to as many people as I knew as possible… then it would be met soon.

Small stuff matters.

Go back to the fresh bread story again. One time Alida made bread and forgot the yeast. Yeast is actually very small when placed in a whole batch of bread. That bread was something else. Another time the yeast was no good. Yuk! You could beat something with the loaf it was so hard.

Take your small stuff out of what you do…and whatever you are doing will certainly fall apart.

I want to say thank you for your part in supporting us…small stuff is important and so is your part in our lives.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
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