“One of the best prayer letters I’ve ever read!” raves Matt I.

“Hands down the best missions support letter I’ve ever read,” says Kris K.

“Dang, this is long–but well worth the time to read it!” responds Mel I. (I know it’s lame to quote myself, but hey, this is my website, and I can do whatever I want!)

Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve read the reviews and now you’re probably anxiously waiting for me to finish this introduction so you can get to this famous support letter!

First some background: My best friend, second cousin by marriage, friend I’ve known the longest–known as Dorc to everyone who grew up with her–is traveling to Asia with a team of three others to teach English at a university. She turned down summer teaching jobs, income, and a chance to see her best friend (me!) in Sac next month because of this trip. To prepare for her trip, she sent out support letters petitioning for prayer and financial support.

For those of you unfamiliar with “missions trips,” you typically send out a “support letter” to people in your church and other friends/family members to ask them to partner with you in your volunteer work. This “work” could take the form of building a church in Brazil, organizing children’s activities in Mexican slums, or providing medical care to villages in China. The intention is to have your friends and family support you financially, covering the costs of your trip. It also is essential to have people praying for you. At the end of the trip (and sometimes during the trip, depending on the trip’s length), the supporters will hear from their friend and get updates. As partners, we really value these updates!

Before Dorc sent out her letter, she told me she was nervous that it wouldn’t be well-received. “It’s not your typical prayer letter,” she said. This just made me more curious to read it. I have written and received many, many support letters in my past. Many of them sound the same. You read about how God is teaching them lessons–but often don’t hear what those specific lessons are. You read about how God is blessing them–but often don’t hear what those specific blessings are. Everything is really vague. And, yes, to keep the reader’s attention–and to keep the letter to a page–succinctness is needed. But when succinctness overcomes details and value to the letter, I feel that’s when the unofficial 1-page rule can and should be broken.

In Dorc’s case, it really worked. I’m not here to provide an analysis of her prayer letter from a writer’s standpoint. I’m here to say that I’m proud of Dorc…proud that she defied the normal standard support letter and was REAL. She not only opened up about herself–she also gave us something to think about. Her lesson doesn’t just apply to people who think they have to make sacrifices to go on a missions trip. Her letter challenges all of us to think about what we’re holding on to…what we’re putting off before we finally “seek first the kingdom of God.”

You won’t get any warm fuzzy feel-good Christian bubble emotions with this letter…and that’s what I love best about it. What amazed me most is that my own husband who gets annoyed when people (especially me!) are long-winded in their letters and e-mails, told me how much he enjoyed reading it.

I’m shutting up now. Finally. Now read Dorc’s letter.