The difficult part in leading a ministry is dealing with important factors that are beyond one's control. Governmental policies and priorities, weather and health issues are some examples. But the most difficult to manage are the financial variables. Like the exchange rate.
CSC's ministry in Cebu is paid for in Philippine pesos. The money sent to us from Minnesota for our ministry budget comes to us in US dollars. So the rate of exchange is very important. For several years the rate has grown consistently, putting us in a favorable position. But this past year the exchange rate has gone down - about 17%. That means that we have 17% fewer pesos to work with here in Cebu. Our expense remain the same, but we have less money to pay them with. We have had to use our cash reserves to make up the difference.
In the next days we will be making a budget for 2008. Part of that process is trying to peg an exchange rate for the year. That is really a difficult decision. The exchange rate is determined by a combination of economic factors and government policies. Making a forecast is kind of like trying to predict the weather many months in advance. It is hard when something that affects us dramatically is something that we cannot influence. No manner of hard work or creative genious on our part is going to change this.
In some ways, the same is true of God's will. He is on the throne of the universe, and nothing happens apart from his willing it to be so. We cannot bribe or manipulate him. But we know that God is aware of all our needs, and that He loves us and the children that we serve. Unlike government officials and others who influence our future, God has our best interests in mind.
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