"Itineration is a busy time for a missionary. It is his one chance in 5 years to share his ministry with the churches who have faithfully supported and prayed for him during his previous term of missionary service.

When my family and I arrived in the United States in August 1977 for our second missionary furlough, we had only one month to do all of our errands before our itineration began.

Some of the things we had to do during that month were purchase a car for use in itineration travel; buy car license; find a house, furniture, and household supplies; enroll the children in school; have stationery and prayer cards printed; have photographs made; prepare and mail newsletters to supporters; notify all concerned with change of address; open a local bank account; prepare missionary slides and film presentation for itinerary; plan a year's itinerary; and begin contacting churches, districts, and pastors to schedule services.

Needless to say, getting these things done and our family settled into a home filled every minute of that month.

Itineration is not without its trials, but there are also times of blessing. At one church, the pastor couldn't have been kinder to me and my family. He paid for my meals, lodging, turnpike tolls; filled the car with gasoline; did my laundry; increased the church's pledge to counter inflation; and gave me candy and kites for the kids.

Women's Ministries groups at many of the churches presented our family with gifts during our itineration.

But as Connie and I visited our supporting churches we became concerned. This time of itineration is a necessary prerequisite for a 4-year term of missionary service, and many of the people we met did not understand the whys and hows of itineration. So we began to record all their questions and later we sat down and tried to thoughtfully answer these questions.

We want our supporters to understand what our needs are so they will know better how to pray with us about them, and rejoice with us when God meets them.

What is a furlough?

Furlough for an Assemblies of God missionary is the time when he returns to the United States for approximately 1 year of deputational ministry. He visits his supporting churches and raises the increased support for his missionary budget for his next 4-year term. With the present rate of inflation, the average budget increase is approximately 10 percent.

When are you going back to the field?

The Division of Foreign Missions clears missionaries to return to their field of service only after the missionary has raised the required amount of support in faith promise pledges and cash to meet his budget for the coming term. The missionary usually has from 12 to 15 months to reach this goal.

What is a budget?

Before beginning itineration, a proposed budget for the missionary's next 4-year term is prepared by the Division of Foreign Missions. This budget is an estimate of future operational expenses for 4 years of ministry overseas.

Some people misunderstand and conclude that the budget is the missionary's salary. While the total amount to be raised in monthly pledges includes the missionary's personal allowance, that is only a small part of the total. All expenses for living and ministering abroad are added into the budget. These include children's schooling expenses, field missionary work, transportation expenses, general emergency funds, and contingency for future inflation.

A second part of the budget is the cash he must raise to cover the cost of equipment, freight and duty, and return fare to the field.

Why do you have to raise your own support?

In its foreign missions program the Assemblies of God is a faith mission. A missionary itinerates among the churches to raise his financial support in monthly pledges and then goes to the field in faith that these pledges will continue over the 4 years of his term.

This personalized support method is used because local churches want to designate their own foreign missions offerings and maintain personal contact with those missionaries whom they support.

What is your greatest problem of missionary itineration?

Scheduling services. It is difficult to schedule meetings for any time other than Sundays and Wednesdays. Churches that will invite a missionary to come for a service on a Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night are greatly appreciated. Of course, this may mean that the church changes its schedule or adds a special service, but such invitations help the missionary make better use of his time at home.

Another scheduling problem is our difficulty of arranging any itinerary prior to our arrival in the States. By the time we return from the field, many pastors we contact already have set up their church calendars for months ahead with no openings for another missionary service.

Do you receive a pledge from every church you visit?

No. In a recent tour of three months, with services in about 50 churches, I received pledges from only 6 churches. Sometimes the pastor feels his church cannot give more to missions. Other churches feel their own programs must have priority. Then many new people in congregations are not informed about the financial needs of our missions program and must yet be convinced of the importance of foreign missions. The ministry of the itinerating missionary is a valuable contribution to the local church in educating and informing its people about missions.

Can I contribute towards your support as an individual?

Yes, and this is desirable for it involves your family personally in missions. Personal pledges are handled in the same way as church pledges. You first decide what amount you wish to pledge each month. Then fill out and sign a pledge form and return it to the Division of Foreign Missions. Your monthly commitment can be contributed through your church or sent directly.

What should I do if I want to give you a special offering for Christmas, a birthday, or otherwise?

Offerings that are intended by the donor to be gifts to the missionary on special occasions or for personal emergencies should be sent to the Division of Foreign Missions and designated for the missionary's account as "special offering."

All "special offerings" received in excess of the maximum amount allowed are automatically credited to the missionary's work-support account. Tax deductible receipts for all missionary offerings are sent to the donor if the contributions are sent directly to the Division of Foreign Missions. Also, an individual who sends in a personal offering can request that his church receive World Ministries credit.

Where do you get money for building projects on your field?

Funds for building churches or church-related facilities on the foreign field come from individuals and congregations in America who want to be directly involved in this kind of investment for God.

The Kenya Field Fellowship (made up of the Assemblies of God missionaries on the field) asked us to raise $15,000 in cash during this furlough for the construction of the Kitale Christian Centre. The municipality of Kitale has given our mission two acres of choice land on the main road in the town with the restriction that a church must be built within 2 years. Construction has been started, but additional funds are needed to complete the project.

Where will your children go to school next term?

Since there are no free public schools overseas, the high cost of educating our children is a large part of our monthly budget.

If space is available, our children will attend Rosslyn Academy in Nairobi as day students. This is a Mennonite mission school with grades 1-9 and an American curriculum. After grade 9 they must become boarding students at the Rift Valley Academy 27 miles northwest of Nairobi, operated by the African Inland Mission.

Some missionary families use correspondence courses if other schools are not available, especially in the elementary grades.

Will you live in the same house when you go back to Africa?

No. Another missionary family now lives in the house we occupied in Kisumu. We must look for a house in Nairobi where housing is scarce and expensive.

In a recent letter our East Africa Representative Delmar Kingsriter wrote, "Please, please raise extra money for housing."

ALTHOUGH the itinerating missionary faces problems from time to time, his contacts with the people who support him often help to alleviate some of the humdrum of daily itineration.

A family at one church sent a Christmas poinsettia to Connie, and a woman at another church said, "Brother Huston, call your wife and charge it to my bill."

We like this personal relationship with the churches. Not only does God help us to raise the increased support we need, but we meet people who are our friends for life and many of them become faithful intercessory prayer partners with us in our ministries."

This article quoted from
PENTECOSTAL EVANGEL, JANUARY 13, 1980, pages 20-21
Adapted from information submitted by DEWEY HUSTON, who was a Missionary to Kenya, East Africa, at that time.