You Brought the Gas. Now Let’s Keepthe Engine Running.
A Lesson from Lottie Moon
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 thefootsteps of Jesus Christ in bringing back a lost world to God. – September15, 1887, Tungchow
She said it!
Over 140 years ago, a young woman named Lottie Moon stepped off a boat in China with the same heart you brought on your trip: to make Jesus known. Bornin 1840, she left a comfortable life in the United States to live among a people whose language and customs she didn’t yet know. She immersed herself inChinese culture, adopting their dress, eating their food, learning theirlanguage—not as a gimmick, but because she loved them and wanted them to seeChrist in her life.
But here’s what makes Lottie’s story echo into ours: she quickly realizedthe mission couldn’t survive on good intentions alone. She saw othermissionaries struggling to make ends meet. She knew the work would stall ifthere weren’t consistent, reliable support from back home. So she wroteletters—powerful, heartfelt appeals—to Southern Baptists in America, urgingthem to give sacrificially so that missionaries could stay on the field.
Those letters lit a fire that still burns today. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, named in her honor, funds Southern Baptist missionsaround the world. It’s one of the most enduring examples of how one person’scommitment to ongoing support can fuel a movement for generations.
And her principle is the same one we live by today: trips light the fire,but long-term support keeps the engine running.
Who Was Lottie Moon?
Lottie Moon (1840–1912) was a Southern Baptist missionary to China whose life of sacrifice and cultural immersion became legendary. She spent nearly 40 yearsteaching, evangelizing, and serving the Chinese people—often living on solittle that she gave her own food to others.
Deeply concerned for the survival of overseas missions, she wrotepassionate letters back to the U.S., urging churches to send more missionariesand more financial support. Her advocacy led to the creation of the LottieMoon Christmas Offering, which continues to fund Southern Baptist missionsworldwide today. Her legacy reminds us that missionary work needs more than aone-time gift—it needs faithful, ongoing support.
How About TIME MISSIONS
Trip fees light the fire—but theydon’t keep the motor turning.
You brought the gas. You showed up, paid your trip fee, and gave TIME Missions the fuel to fire up the engine. Many of you give hard and your gifts aregreat value. Without you, there would have been no spark, no ignition, norumble of ministry moving forward. Your participation made the mission happen.
But here’s the thing: a full tank gets you on the road, but it doesn’t guarantee you’ll make it to your destination. Cars don’t run on gas alone, they need oil, coolant, belts, tires, and a driver who knows where they’re going. In the same way, short-term mission trips light the fire, but they aren’t the only thing that keeps the motor turning for the long haul.
To Fuel Missions beyond one trip, we need more than a one-time burst of energy. We need an entire system working together—people, resources,prayer, partnerships, and steady financial support—so that when the next grouprolls into town, the mission field is ready to receive them.
The Trip Fee: Our Spark Plug Moment
When you or your church group signs up for a mission trip, you do morethan just cover the cost of your flights, food, and lodging. Your trip feekeeps the lights on, helps us prepare ministry sites, and ensures ourmissionaries are in place when you arrive. It’s the “spark plug moment”—thatinitial burst of energy that gets the ministry week moving.
But just like spark plugs don’t run your whole engine, trip fees don’tsustain the entire mission. They’re a piece of the puzzle, not the wholepicture.
The cost of keeping a mission platform ready year-round is much biggerthan one week’s activity. Our TIME Centers in Mexico and the Dominican Republicrequire maintenance whether a team is on-site. Vehicles need repairs. Ministrymaterials need replenishing. Missionaries still need salaries, training, andcare.
If all we ever had was “spark plug money,” the engine would roar for aweek… and then sputter out by the side of the road.
The Engine: A Whole System Working Together
Think of the mission like a vehicle designed for long-distance travel. Here’s what it takes to keep it moving:
When these systems are in place, trips become more than one-time events.They become part of a movement—missionaries empowered year-round, localchurches strengthened long after the team flies’ home, and the Gospel advancingin places that still need the Good News.
You have met wonderful people on our sites. Along with the office team we keep the motor tuned up and running.
Participation Is Powerful—But Partnership Is Long-Haul
If you came on a trip with us, you’ve already made an impact. You’ve swung a hammer, taught a Bible lesson, prayed for a stranger, and maybe even cried during a final night of worship because you didn’t want it to end. Our giving software is Blackbaud. Blackbaud tell us or recidivism rate is better than most other non-profit. So, I have nothing to complain about.
But imagine if we could keep giving moving in all year long.
What if the work you began in one week kept going all year—because their sources were there to keep it moving? What if you could know that the church you painted is now packed with people hearing the Gospel? Are the kids you met at VBS now part of a discipleship program? That the pastor you encouraged now has a team of local leaders helping him reach his community?
That’s what ongoing partnership does. It takes your one-week impact andextends it into a twelve-month transformation.
Lottie Moon understood this. She didn’t just ask people to come, sheasked them to stay involved through prayer, giving, and sending. She knew that a missionary’s work is only as strong as the support holding it up.
The Hidden Costs of “Keeping the MotorRunning”
Here’s what trip fees don’t cover—things most participants never see:
These aren’t “extras”—they’re the essentials that keep us ready to servewhen God opens a door.
From Gas to Gears—Your Role in theMovement
If you’ve been on a TIME Missions trip, you’ve already proven you care about the mission. You’ve given the gas. You’ve seen the joy of children singing Bible songs in another language, the gratitude of a pastor who know she’s not alone, and the deep beauty of worshiping Jesus in a place far from home.
Now, you can turn that gas into gears—to move from being a one-time participant to a long-haul partner.
Trip fees light the fire. But it’s the ongoing support—your prayers, your giving, your advocacy—that keep the motor turning. Just as Lottie Moon’s faithful call to action still fuels missions today, your decision to stay involved can keep the Gospel moving forward for the next generation.
So, here’s the invitation: Let’s not just remember that one amazing week. Let’s take the energy of that week and turn it into a movement. Let’s keep the engine running so that the Gospel keeps moving forward—mile after mile, year after year—until the whole world hears.
Fuel Missions. Keep the engine running.
