Wounded soldier asking for help

30 years ago, after I had just finished my university studies with a master degree in Political Science, I decided to go into full-time Christian ministry, being open to live, serve and preach the Good News wherever the Lord would lead me. This was a conscious decision against taking a "normal" job which would have provided a stable income as well as against the benefits of the German social security and welfare system.  Instead, I solely relied on donations. Of course, there were lots of questions from family and friends, some Christians, some non-Christians: "What if you get sick? Or old? Or the economy goes so bad that no one can afford to support you?" I knew that in everything, my faith had to be in the Lord and in his promises, rather than in people or circumstances, even though he mostly works through the generosity of people.  

During these years I have come to know so many awesome people from every corner of this planet, from all imaginable kinds of walks of life: pastors, students, kids, factory workers, teachers, farmers, plumbers, carpenters, musicians, artists and doctors – some millionaires and some who had a hard time to make ends meet. 

I had the privilege to fight some glorious battles, maybe even together with you or for you. Some battles were won, others caused injuries. Those battles were to be expected – yes, they were the very reason I went out into the world in the first place, as the Lord had shown me clearly, e.g. in the dream when he called me to go to Thailand! 

My heart longs so much to be the valiant co-worker, loving brother, compassionate leader and, (the best), a caring friend that I once was to many. I would love to focus again on the things and the glory of God in all the nations. Sure, I do that to a certain degree in prayer. But I mostly find myself preoccupied with two other battles: 

1. The fight for my health against Parkinson’s disease.
2. The struggle to raise sufficient support.

Even though Parkinson´s does not shut me down entirely, it keeps me from doing many things that I used to love to do, including traveling, teaching and preaching. Even typing on the computer has become more and more difficult. As much as I still have hope that it will be possible to gain back territory regarding my health, I have to admit that the efforts to get by financially are taking away my focus and time even from that. We constantly have to report to government agencies and jump through many, sometimes very humbling, hoops to receive a bare-minimum assistance. 

Thank God, some of our supporters continue to help us even though we are no longer on the frontlines. However, we are still about 1,000 US-$ per month short from being independent from any government assistance. We are therefore looking for long-term partners all over the world. We covet your prayers for this situation. If you or somebody you know are interested to become part of our support team, you find further information at  www.tobiasknoblauch.de/support . Thank you so much!