Give Lottie some love!

As we approach Chirstmas, I want to take a few minutes to remind people of something that, honestly, I didn't really think about until I came on staff with the IMB.  Growing up, Christmas season was Lottie Moon season.  My church growing up was all about Lottie, and put a strong emphasis on the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.  Over the past several years, it seems like Lottie has been a little forgotten (maybe that's just my perspective).  

Lottie Moon is an encouraging example of what it means to be a "living sacrifice".  She was one of the first single women to enter the mission field; for 37 years this pioneer endured hardship and danger in a land oppressed by famine, disease, and war.  In the end, she loved the Chinese people more than life itself, giving her own food to starving neighbors, eventually dying of starvation herself.  During her career, Lottie wrote numerous letters home encouraging Southern Baptists to greater missions involvement and support.  In one of her letters, she wrote, "How many there are who imagine that because Jesus paid it all, they need pay nothing, forgetting that the prime object of their salvation was that they should follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ in bringing back a lost world to God."

Over the past couple of months, I have come to understand just how important the Lottie Moon Offering really is.  LMCO accounts for over half of the IMB's annual operating budget, and every penny goes directly to the field.  Even if you're not "Southern Baptist," let me encourage you to look into Lottie as a way of financially supporting the spread of the Gospel.  Thank you for your continued partnership as we work to bring the Lugbara people to faith in our Lord and Savior.