Short term missionaries have the courage to obey God's call to go to the ends of the earth, but ask them to raise money for the trip and their knees may start knocking.

They often protest: My friends are broke! I feel awkward talking to people about money!

I know the feeling, but now I have a different attitude. My wife and I raised our living and ministry expenses from friends, family, and churches during three years of ministry in Kenya and two more at the headquarters of our mission agency. Now I'm a journalist—earning a paycheck the traditional way—but I still help missionaries raise funds, and recently raised money for a short-term trip myself.

This is a touchy subject for most people, and it once was for me too. Even when people feel God's calling to missionary work, they often don't want to do any fundraising. Sadly, most Christians find talking about money taboo. We think it's OK to talk to people about faith, but not finances.

Now that I have a new outlook on fundraising, ...