Sunday, February 15, 2015

Using the Lord's Money



Project Fund

I want to apologize for not writing sooner about my plan for the project fund you all have been generously giving to.  While I was in the States in Oct I mentioned that our ultrasound with Doppler appeared to be broken beyond repair, and so I was trying to raise funds to help buy a new one.  Praise the Lord, they were about to fix the machine and I didn’t end up using the project fund for that reason.  I also mentioned buying a Kindle for the pastor of the church I attend here.  That I did buy, but with the money that people gave to me specifically for that purpose.
          I’ve been praying for a long time about how to use the funds to help the people of Peru in their situation and in their faith, without hurting them.  I feel like God has finally answered my question.  When we went on the village medical campaign at the end of January we charged the patients 2 soles (about 60 cents) to be seen and for all the medicines I prescribed.  This obviously did not cover the cost of the medicines, but I felt led was an appropriate way of using the project fund.  The total cost of medicines for treating 60+ patients was 800 soles (about $266; which was about $5 of medicine per person).  We plan in the future to visit other rural churches in the future and encourage the church and the local people with similar medical campaigns.
          The other way I’ve felt led to use the project fund currently is to pay rent for the facility where we play Ultimate Frisbee Wednesdays.  We have been playing in the gym of the Diospi school, and we’re hoping we’ll be able to play on the outdoor field they are currently making.  Initially it was free to use, but the school is new so they’re still creating rules and protocols.  They’ve decided to charge $10 for 2 hours of use to cover the cost of electricity, maintenance and cleaning.  This has been a good way to invite Peruvians who wouldn’t otherwise go to church to be in a Christian environment, and also a good way for the missionaries to enjoy the “rest” of God by “playing.”  I didn’t what to create any barriers to the Peruvians wanting to come (because $10 seems like a really high price to them: about 6 hours of work as a construction worker), so I plan to pay the rent from the project fund.
          Thanks again for all of your support: financially, in prayer, and the encouraging emails (they always brighten my day and make  you all seem less far away).
          May God continue to bless each of you richly! J

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