Donations:

Construction was stopped last Sep for lack of finances

GROWING FAMILY

If you do not read my blog, you don't know the wonderful news yet that Abdias has returned home. I knew he would eventually come back, but was surprised that it only took about 3 weeks on the street for him to realize he does not want that old life any more. I was overjoyed when he repented and returned, and things have been going well with him since.

Not only is Abdias back, but a family of 6 will be moving in with us soon. It is Dami (our night guard), his wife Rosalie (our cooking helper) and their four children that will move into one room. The reason is that a widow and her 5 children will move into their simple house that is just around the corner from our base. We have no room whatsoever for any other people now, as we're maxed out.

We've been helping this poor widow out with rice, and now she's being evicted from her house. The Lord laid it on my heart to help her, and Dami had already considered moving in with us. Aramata was overjoyed when she heard that we had a solution to her problem. She does not know yet when she'll be thrown out.

Aramata is a tailor and not a believer yet, and we're praying about how we can work together, as well as for her to meet Jesus.

Finally, next Sunday night 22-year-old Eva is arriving from Austria to stay with us for half a year and help us out. We are all very excited that I won't be able to say any more that I'm the only white person here. We're believing for her to be the first of many, and in fact, others are interested in coming.

Eva has some medical experience, as well as experience working with handicapped children. She does not speak French or Bambara, but I'm sure she'll learn quickly. I'm so excited to finally have somebody to help out with the kids! Pray for Eva that she'll settle in well, and that she'll encounter Jesus on our base.

2009 FINANCIAL STATISTICS

As I have finished doing the accounting for 2009, and have numbers for 2008 to compare it to, I thought you might be interested in hearing some numbers, especially to the faithful supporters among you. Feel free to skip this section :-).

      General donations 2009 - up 30%
      Expenses - up 15%
      Construction donations - down 53%

Thanks to a greater increase in donations than increase in expenses, the ministry has been able to reduce its debt in 2009 by 81%. Let's pray this trend continues and we can get out of debt in 2010!

Our monthly average amount we spend is 6.300€, i.e. $8,600.
Our faithful monthly donors give a total of 2.350€, i.e. $3,200.
That means we are 63% of our expenses short every month.
In the best case, that difference comes in through one-time donations. In the worst case, the ministry goes more into debt. It is my travels that help bring in those one-time donations.

People ask me where most of our donations come from - 40% of last year donations came from the USA, while 60% came from Europe & Africa and mostly from Austria.

This ministry seeks to give away 10% of incoming money (unless dedicated to something specific) to other ministries, as we believe in tithing and giving, and the blessings that result thereof. In 2009, we unfortunately fell short of that goal, but are aiming to do so in 2010.

Some numbers of expenses so you have an idea where our greatest needs are; these are averages per month for 2009.

Food - 1000€, i.e. $1,370 (excluding Claudia's food)

Schooling - 375€, i.e. $515

Car repairs/maintenance - 480€, i.e. $660

Gas for cars - 305€, i.e. $420

I hope these numbers are beneficial to you. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions, as this ministry has nothing to hide.

AUSTRIA IN MARCH

I'm looking forward to my shorter time than usual in Austria, though I have a very busy schedule this time. If you'd like to come hear me preach or share, these are some of the opportunities. Please check the CALENDAR page for all the details and the most current information.

March 14 (Sun) ~ 10 am ~ Preaching ~ FCG Großrust (German)

March 16 (Tue) ~7 pm ~ Sharing ~ FCG Pucking (German)

March 17 (Wed) ~ 7 pm ~ Sharing & Ministry ~ FCG Steyr (German)

March 20 (Sat) ~ 5 pm ~ Preaching ~ Vienna, VCC Jesuszentrum (German)

March 21 (Sun) ~ 5 pm ~ Preaching ~ Vienna, Four Corners CF (English)

Also, I don't know where to stay in Vienna at this point; I'm going to be in Vienna March 19th until 31st. I'd like to be somewhere close to public transportation where I can have use of a kitchen to cook for myself.

QUICK NEWS

•        New Driver - We had some problems with our driver, and I thank God that the situation escalated before we brought up his family from Togo. We had a few candidates to fill his place, and I'm VERY happy with our new driver Philippe. He's a seasoned Christian who loves God and wants to grow in his faith.

•        Sponsor for One Child Needed - At this time we're looking for someone who'd like to become a half-sponsor for Marie-Madeleine (10). That means she has a sponsor who provides half a sponsorship per month, but she lost the other person. Half a sponsorship is 20€ or $30 per month.

•        Third Building - We stopped building last September because we ran out of money, and nothing has changed since. Our current two houses are maxed out, and in light of several visitors wanting to come later this year, we REALLY need this third building to come up. Please pray with us to that end!

•        Solar Power - We're very blessed to have a great solar power system to provide electricity for us. However, we need $5000 to add some more machines, as the system is currently unstable and crashes when it gets really hot. The hottest time of year is March through May, so things will be difficult without those additions. If you would like to help with this, please mark your donation with "solar power".

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.(1.Chr 4:10)

Loving HIM,

Claudia