At the time of our last newsletter, not much was known except for our
new ministry focus: teaching at Evangelical Theological College (ETC) in
Addis Ababa. As the weeks have unfolded, new details have surfaced –
many within the last 48 hours. The purpose of this brief post is to
highlight our financial needs as outlined by SIM USA (our sending
office) and SIM Ethiopia (our field office).
#1: We are buying the Toyota Land Cruiser (pictured above) from the SIM Ethiopia
administration for $40,000 USD. In our newsletter, we told why vehicles
cost so much in Ethiopia, noting that this vehicle would apparently go
for $65,000 USD on the open market. As of this writing, 50% of the truck costs have already been raised
#1 Financial Need: $20,000 USD in
one-time gifts to complete the purchase of this truck.
(UPDATE: We are still trusting the Lord for this need, so please keep praying.)
#2: If the Coke bottle on the left looks weird, it’s because it’s in the Amharic language, the national language of Ethiopia. We will be attending language school to learn Amharic throughout the first year of our time there.
#2 Financial Need: $3,300 in one-time gifts to cover the cost of Amharic Language School for both Nate & Amy.
(UPDATE: In July, nearly $3,500 was given above our normal monthly gifts. Praise the Lord that this need has been met by faithful financial partners!)
#3: With any change in field, certain financial requirements will vary. With SIM South Sudan, we were raising $5,497 USD in monthly support. With SIM Ethiopia, this figure rises to $5,900 USD in monthly support. This is mainly due to the cost of living in a city where expenses are somewhat higher than in the rural “bush” of South Sudan. We have been blessed to average $5,000 USD in monthly support this fiscal year after being 100% supported last year.
#3 Financial Need: we need to raise an additional $400 USD in monthly support.
(UPDATE: We are following up with a few churches and individuals who might help with this need. Nothing concrete has been established, so please keep this in prayer also.)
#4: We will need to set up a new house in Addis Ababa. We already have about $7,000 USD that has been given specifically for this expense, so we are very thankful!
#4 Financial Need: setup costs have already been provided by faithful supporters! Praise the Lord!
As with any of these financial needs, please don’t hesitate to contact us for more details. We would be happy to outline the specifics of each need as well as provide SIM’s rationale for requiring each amount. Also note the
online giving feature (above right... 'ONLINE GIVING') for various countries. As always, God bless you for being part of this ministry together with us. We couldn’t serve in Ethiopia without you! – Nate
