FAQ's
How long have you been a missionary with The Mission Society?
We have been missionaries with the Mission Society since May 1999. We have been involved in mission work as volunteers since 1986.
What prompted you and your family to become missionaries?
This is not an easy question to answer briefly, as we have been blessed to have many Godly influences that have been used by God to lead us to this place in our lives. Arthur had an uncle who was a missionary in the late 1970’s that he was very close to, and both Arthur and Mary Alice have had numerous Christian friends that had hearts for mission work. Arthur’s call began to be apparent shortly after he received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in September 1980. Through an evangelism program in our local church we became more convinced of our call to share about the love of Jesus Christ with others around us. In 1986, we participated in our first short-term mission trip at the invitation of a good friend. All of these things were used to strengthen the call to full time missionary work. Mary Alice did not feel personally called to full time mission work at this time, but was willing to go as she believed that Arthur was called, and as his wife she was called to go with him. As a result, both Arthur and Mary Alice continued to participate in short-term volunteer mission work for the next 13 years. Both continued to pray that the Lord would place a personal call on Mary Alice’s heart when the time was appropriate. In late 1998, God called Mary Alice through a Bible Study using the passage from Genesis 12 about the call of Abram. During this same time God was confirming the call to work in Peru in Arthur’s heart through some short term work he was doing there and through the passage in John 11:38-44. Since that time, God has also given our boys, Benjamin and Joshua, calls to be missionaries to Peru.
Where is (was) your home in the States?
Marietta, Georgia
What is the source of your financial support?
We receive financial support from individuals and individual churches that want to be a part of what the Lord Jesus Christ is doing. The largest portion of our support comes from individual persons. We receive our support through our sponsoring mission organization, The Mission Society; however we must raise all of our support. Our mission organization does not do this for us.
What is the annual budget for one year's missionary support in Peru?
An annual budget for a missionary covers many things. The support they receive is used to pay their living expenses, but is also used for many other things. The funds missionaries receive for their personal up keep is a set amount and is not a function of the amount of support raised, unless the support raised does not cover this set amount. The sponsoring mission to provide the homeland services needed to care for missionaries on foreign fields uses a percentage. Mission work can be very transportation intensive, and this can be a significant amount of cost each year, especially for a family. The cost of obtaining and maintaining visas in foreign countries and airline cost can be significant. The purchase of ministry materials such as books for pastors and teachers, educational materials, and other program expenses are all part of the missionary budget. Missionaries are often asked to assist very poor children with educational expenses, such as uniform purchases for school or the cost of books. The more support a missionary receives, the more ministries he is able to do on the field. The annual budget for a missionary can vary depending on the field and type of ministry. The annual minimum budget required for us to stay on the field in Peru is $84,000.00
What do you miss most being in a third world country?
We miss most having relationships with persons whom we can share the deep thoughts and longings of our hearts.
What are some of the challenges of raising a family without extended family nearby?
This challenge not only exists for missionaries, but many families in our very mobile society have to deal with this issue. More modern methods of communication and travel have decreased the impact of this problem somewhat and have made the world seem much smaller than in the past. Probably the biggest differences for the missionary are the language and cultural barriers. Our children are loosing their sense of identity as Americans and are unable to fully identify with the Peruvians. They are becoming third culture children that do not really have a culture of their own. The only ties they have to their home culture are through us, their parents. They do not get to experience the relationships with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins that helps them to develop a sense of belonging and closeness, and to understand better their roots and heritage, and at the same time are surrounded by a totally different culture in which they have to learn how to adapt and live. Unfortunately, they do not get much help from us, as we are having to learn the same things and do not have any experience to draw from to help them.
What was the biggest adjustment in your life after answering the mission call?
The biggest adjustment for us was learning how to deal with the pain and difficulties experienced by those around us that was caused by our decision to follow Jesus Christ.
What can I do to offer support to your missionary efforts?
Pray, pray, and pray. Recruit others to pray for us as well. After this if you feel lead to do more you may help with our financial support or other projects and needs listed in the other areas of this web site.
How often do you visit the States?
Unless we have a reason for a special trip, such as a presentation in a church or special meeting, we return to the states once every three years to spend time raising prayer and financial support for the next three years of work in the field. One family member of the family, generally Arthur, only makes the special trips.
How many churches or groups support you financially?
We currently have 13 churches that provide some level of regular financial support. We have received one-time financial gifts from six other churches in the past. The large majority of our financial support comes from individuals. We have received one time gifts or on going monthly financial support from 198 individuals. One time gifts received ranged from $25.00 and up, and on going monthly gifts range from $10.00 per month and up. All gifts are given through The Mission Society, and are tax deductible.
Are you available to speak at our church for special Mission Emphasis Programs?
We are available to speak at these events. We ask that persons that are interested schedule these engagements well in advance, since travel is difficult and time consuming and special arrangements are necessary. We ask that the organization sponsoring the event pay the cost of transportation, meals and lodging for the trip since this type of work is not part of our budget.
How did you prepare for the mission field?
Our preparation consisted of three levels of training established by The Mission Society. The first level was a week, long training event in which we were taught much about the various aspects of mission work. We spent time learning to evaluate ourselves, and how to care for ourselves, both physically and psychologically, in the adverse environment of the mission field. The second level of training was a self-study course that involved the reading of some 20 books. This was done during the time we were speaking in churches and with individuals to raise our financial support. We had to raise 100% of our minimum budget for the first four years, before we could depart for the field. After these steps were completed, we had five weeks of training in a missionary training facility in Colorado. Our entire family had to participate in this training. The level three training is a much deeper, more intense version of the level one training where we had to deal with issues of cultural adaptation, interpersonal conflict and other things, such as death of a spouse or child. The training also included intensive training in techniques for acquiring a new language. Once this training was completed, we spent a year in Costa Rica learningthe Spanish language.
What was your and your spouse's line of work in the States?
Arthur was the president of an engineering company, Cerny & Ivey Engineers, Inc., and Mary Alice was a homemaker. Mary Alice has her degree in early childhood education and was a teacher’s aid before our children were born.
Do you look at mission work as a season in your life, or is it a lifetime commitment subject to the will of the Lord as time passes?
For us mission work is a lifetime commitment subject to the will of the Lord Jesus Christ as time passes. This is not the commitment that the Lord calls every person who participates in missions to make, but for us it was an integral part of our calling.
What would you most like me as a United Methodist Layman to know about your efforts in missions?
We would like you to know that we are ordinary people just like you. We are not super-spiritual or super-human. We are simply blessed to be called by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to carry the message of His love and saving grace to other persons in another part of the world. The work here is not ours, but is Jesus’s work. We are just participants in it, just like you. Pray, pray, pray. You can always pray. Without this we cannot accomplish even the smallest thing. Your prayers are the power behind our work. They open the storehouses of heaven. They defeat the worst the enemy can throw at us. We have a great need for help here in Peru. There are thousands hungry to hear about the saving grace of Jesus Christ and the number of messengers is grossly insufficient. We don’t even have enough minimally trained pastors for the existing churches; much less for the churches we could easily plant. We need persons that can help with pastoral training, both short and long term. You, as a layperson, could encourage your pastor to help us, and the church could support his efforts both with time away and financially. You, yourself, can participate with your time, talents, and resources.
How effective are short-term missions to your efforts?
Short-term missions can be very effective and very helpful, if properly accomplished. If the short-term missionaries are culturally sensitive and minister with love for the people to whom they are sent with Godly attitudes and actions, these efforts can do much to advance the Gospel. If they chose to be selfish, culturally insensitive, and unwilling to exemplify the fruits of the Holy Spirit in their lives, they can do great harm.
What would you change about the short-term mission trips sponsored by Stateside churches?
We have had generally good experiences with the teams that have come to work with us. If I had to make recommendations, they would be primarily in the areas of spiritual and cultural preparation. Spiritual preparation is very important, because the work we are doing is like fighting on the frontlines of a war. The enemy, Satan, is very much opposed to what we are doing, and will be opposing your short-term mission team as well. Without preparation, you will be more easily wounded. I highly recommend that team members increase their daily prayer and devotional time. They should also recruit other persons to pray for them. They should think about their conversion experience and how they came to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and make a written account of it. They should also prepare themselves to share this account with others. Cultural preparation is also important. Short-term mission teams should spend a little time learning how to recognize the differences in their own culture and the culture in which they will minister. It is important to realize what we are like as North Americans, and how different we can be in our thinking and reactions to those people from other cultures. It is also important to know what is cultural and what is Biblical. If possible, it is good to study a little about the culture you will visit, also. In this way you can avoid many cultural misunderstandings. Assistance in these areas is available through the Mission Society’s short-term mission program. Please feel free to contact them about help with your short-term mission. Our Peruvian team has also developed online training to help prepare your team for there service here. Visit http://perutraining.weebly.com/.
We have been missionaries with the Mission Society since May 1999. We have been involved in mission work as volunteers since 1986.
What prompted you and your family to become missionaries?
This is not an easy question to answer briefly, as we have been blessed to have many Godly influences that have been used by God to lead us to this place in our lives. Arthur had an uncle who was a missionary in the late 1970’s that he was very close to, and both Arthur and Mary Alice have had numerous Christian friends that had hearts for mission work. Arthur’s call began to be apparent shortly after he received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in September 1980. Through an evangelism program in our local church we became more convinced of our call to share about the love of Jesus Christ with others around us. In 1986, we participated in our first short-term mission trip at the invitation of a good friend. All of these things were used to strengthen the call to full time missionary work. Mary Alice did not feel personally called to full time mission work at this time, but was willing to go as she believed that Arthur was called, and as his wife she was called to go with him. As a result, both Arthur and Mary Alice continued to participate in short-term volunteer mission work for the next 13 years. Both continued to pray that the Lord would place a personal call on Mary Alice’s heart when the time was appropriate. In late 1998, God called Mary Alice through a Bible Study using the passage from Genesis 12 about the call of Abram. During this same time God was confirming the call to work in Peru in Arthur’s heart through some short term work he was doing there and through the passage in John 11:38-44. Since that time, God has also given our boys, Benjamin and Joshua, calls to be missionaries to Peru.
Where is (was) your home in the States?
Marietta, Georgia
What is the source of your financial support?
We receive financial support from individuals and individual churches that want to be a part of what the Lord Jesus Christ is doing. The largest portion of our support comes from individual persons. We receive our support through our sponsoring mission organization, The Mission Society; however we must raise all of our support. Our mission organization does not do this for us.
What is the annual budget for one year's missionary support in Peru?
An annual budget for a missionary covers many things. The support they receive is used to pay their living expenses, but is also used for many other things. The funds missionaries receive for their personal up keep is a set amount and is not a function of the amount of support raised, unless the support raised does not cover this set amount. The sponsoring mission to provide the homeland services needed to care for missionaries on foreign fields uses a percentage. Mission work can be very transportation intensive, and this can be a significant amount of cost each year, especially for a family. The cost of obtaining and maintaining visas in foreign countries and airline cost can be significant. The purchase of ministry materials such as books for pastors and teachers, educational materials, and other program expenses are all part of the missionary budget. Missionaries are often asked to assist very poor children with educational expenses, such as uniform purchases for school or the cost of books. The more support a missionary receives, the more ministries he is able to do on the field. The annual budget for a missionary can vary depending on the field and type of ministry. The annual minimum budget required for us to stay on the field in Peru is $84,000.00
What do you miss most being in a third world country?
We miss most having relationships with persons whom we can share the deep thoughts and longings of our hearts.
What are some of the challenges of raising a family without extended family nearby?
This challenge not only exists for missionaries, but many families in our very mobile society have to deal with this issue. More modern methods of communication and travel have decreased the impact of this problem somewhat and have made the world seem much smaller than in the past. Probably the biggest differences for the missionary are the language and cultural barriers. Our children are loosing their sense of identity as Americans and are unable to fully identify with the Peruvians. They are becoming third culture children that do not really have a culture of their own. The only ties they have to their home culture are through us, their parents. They do not get to experience the relationships with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins that helps them to develop a sense of belonging and closeness, and to understand better their roots and heritage, and at the same time are surrounded by a totally different culture in which they have to learn how to adapt and live. Unfortunately, they do not get much help from us, as we are having to learn the same things and do not have any experience to draw from to help them.
What was the biggest adjustment in your life after answering the mission call?
The biggest adjustment for us was learning how to deal with the pain and difficulties experienced by those around us that was caused by our decision to follow Jesus Christ.
What can I do to offer support to your missionary efforts?
Pray, pray, and pray. Recruit others to pray for us as well. After this if you feel lead to do more you may help with our financial support or other projects and needs listed in the other areas of this web site.
How often do you visit the States?
Unless we have a reason for a special trip, such as a presentation in a church or special meeting, we return to the states once every three years to spend time raising prayer and financial support for the next three years of work in the field. One family member of the family, generally Arthur, only makes the special trips.
How many churches or groups support you financially?
We currently have 13 churches that provide some level of regular financial support. We have received one-time financial gifts from six other churches in the past. The large majority of our financial support comes from individuals. We have received one time gifts or on going monthly financial support from 198 individuals. One time gifts received ranged from $25.00 and up, and on going monthly gifts range from $10.00 per month and up. All gifts are given through The Mission Society, and are tax deductible.
Are you available to speak at our church for special Mission Emphasis Programs?
We are available to speak at these events. We ask that persons that are interested schedule these engagements well in advance, since travel is difficult and time consuming and special arrangements are necessary. We ask that the organization sponsoring the event pay the cost of transportation, meals and lodging for the trip since this type of work is not part of our budget.
How did you prepare for the mission field?
Our preparation consisted of three levels of training established by The Mission Society. The first level was a week, long training event in which we were taught much about the various aspects of mission work. We spent time learning to evaluate ourselves, and how to care for ourselves, both physically and psychologically, in the adverse environment of the mission field. The second level of training was a self-study course that involved the reading of some 20 books. This was done during the time we were speaking in churches and with individuals to raise our financial support. We had to raise 100% of our minimum budget for the first four years, before we could depart for the field. After these steps were completed, we had five weeks of training in a missionary training facility in Colorado. Our entire family had to participate in this training. The level three training is a much deeper, more intense version of the level one training where we had to deal with issues of cultural adaptation, interpersonal conflict and other things, such as death of a spouse or child. The training also included intensive training in techniques for acquiring a new language. Once this training was completed, we spent a year in Costa Rica learningthe Spanish language.
What was your and your spouse's line of work in the States?
Arthur was the president of an engineering company, Cerny & Ivey Engineers, Inc., and Mary Alice was a homemaker. Mary Alice has her degree in early childhood education and was a teacher’s aid before our children were born.
Do you look at mission work as a season in your life, or is it a lifetime commitment subject to the will of the Lord as time passes?
For us mission work is a lifetime commitment subject to the will of the Lord Jesus Christ as time passes. This is not the commitment that the Lord calls every person who participates in missions to make, but for us it was an integral part of our calling.
What would you most like me as a United Methodist Layman to know about your efforts in missions?
We would like you to know that we are ordinary people just like you. We are not super-spiritual or super-human. We are simply blessed to be called by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to carry the message of His love and saving grace to other persons in another part of the world. The work here is not ours, but is Jesus’s work. We are just participants in it, just like you. Pray, pray, pray. You can always pray. Without this we cannot accomplish even the smallest thing. Your prayers are the power behind our work. They open the storehouses of heaven. They defeat the worst the enemy can throw at us. We have a great need for help here in Peru. There are thousands hungry to hear about the saving grace of Jesus Christ and the number of messengers is grossly insufficient. We don’t even have enough minimally trained pastors for the existing churches; much less for the churches we could easily plant. We need persons that can help with pastoral training, both short and long term. You, as a layperson, could encourage your pastor to help us, and the church could support his efforts both with time away and financially. You, yourself, can participate with your time, talents, and resources.
How effective are short-term missions to your efforts?
Short-term missions can be very effective and very helpful, if properly accomplished. If the short-term missionaries are culturally sensitive and minister with love for the people to whom they are sent with Godly attitudes and actions, these efforts can do much to advance the Gospel. If they chose to be selfish, culturally insensitive, and unwilling to exemplify the fruits of the Holy Spirit in their lives, they can do great harm.
What would you change about the short-term mission trips sponsored by Stateside churches?
We have had generally good experiences with the teams that have come to work with us. If I had to make recommendations, they would be primarily in the areas of spiritual and cultural preparation. Spiritual preparation is very important, because the work we are doing is like fighting on the frontlines of a war. The enemy, Satan, is very much opposed to what we are doing, and will be opposing your short-term mission team as well. Without preparation, you will be more easily wounded. I highly recommend that team members increase their daily prayer and devotional time. They should also recruit other persons to pray for them. They should think about their conversion experience and how they came to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and make a written account of it. They should also prepare themselves to share this account with others. Cultural preparation is also important. Short-term mission teams should spend a little time learning how to recognize the differences in their own culture and the culture in which they will minister. It is important to realize what we are like as North Americans, and how different we can be in our thinking and reactions to those people from other cultures. It is also important to know what is cultural and what is Biblical. If possible, it is good to study a little about the culture you will visit, also. In this way you can avoid many cultural misunderstandings. Assistance in these areas is available through the Mission Society’s short-term mission program. Please feel free to contact them about help with your short-term mission. Our Peruvian team has also developed online training to help prepare your team for there service here. Visit http://perutraining.weebly.com/.
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