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PAUL & ROKIA'S WEDDING

On January 7th a historic wedding took place on our base in the southeast of Bamako. Paul (23), my spiritual son and right-hand man, married his fiancée Rokia (19). He was the first of my "boys" to get married, and it was the first wedding in Mali (I was told) performed by a woman.

We first went to the government office for the legal wedding, and then had the church ceremony on our base. Many people showed up, including a good number of pastors, to share this special day with groom & bride. It was a beautiful celebration.

After an afternoon of celebrating, Paul & Rokia took a plane to go to Senegal on their honeymoon; Rokia's first plane ride, and first time to see the ocean. They said it was paradise and would have loved to stay longer. Thanks to those of you who made that honeymoon possible!

To read the detailed report of the wedding, click here.
To look at the pictures from the wedding, click here.

2011 FINANCIAL STATISTICS

I have finished closing accounting for 2011, and have compared the numbers for 2011 with 2010. As our supporters you have the right to see where your money goes. These next few paragraphs give you some information - feel free to skip them if you're not interested.

      General donations 2011 - down 9%
      Expenses - up 1.6%
      Construction donations - up 22.7%

While we started 2011 with a surplus, we finished it with a negative balance of 770€ or $975.

Our monthly average amount we spent is 7.390€, i.e. $9,360. While the € amount is slightly up, the $ amount is actually down because of the different exchange rate.

Our faithful monthly donors currently give a total of about 3.000€, i.e. $3,800; that number hasn't changed since last year. Taking the book sales into consideration, that means we are 60% of our expenses short every month. In the best case scenario, that difference comes in through one-time donations. In the worst case scenario, the ministry goes into debt. It is my travels that help bring in those one-time donations.

People ask me where most of our donations come from - 41% of last year's donations (building fund excluded) came from the USA, while 59% came from Europe & Africa and mostly from Austria. That's fascinating for several reasons, one being that I travel two thirds of my time in the US, and one third in Europe.

US donors - your tax statements are on the way to you.

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 2011 we came very close to that goal, and hope to reach it this year.

Some numbers of expenses so you have an idea where our greatest needs are; these are averages per month for 2011.

Food - 1.060€, i.e. $1,340 (excluding Claudia's food)

Schooling - 585€, i.e. $740 (tuition & supplies)

Car repairs/maintenance - 400€, i.e. $500

Gas for cars - 260€, i.e. $330

I hope these numbers are beneficial to you. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions.

QUICK NEWS

•        USA Trip - Please look to the left for details on my upcoming US trip, as well as on the CALENDAR page of the website.      

•       New Volunteer - Tomorrow we have a young lady from GA coming to help us for 2 months. Please pray for her and us.

•        Construction & Finances - While we still need a lot of money to finish the house I already live in, we need to first pay the oustanding $6,000 bill that came out of the blue. Any help is greatly appreciated. We also have to pay the next installment of tuition now, which is quite a lot of money.

•       Thief Among Us - The thefts continue; please keep praying for the thief to be caught.

•       Europe Trip - I'm about to start scheduling appointments for my Europe trip middle of April to middle of May. Contact me if you'd like to invite me.

•        Volunteers - We need helpers! If you could come to Mali for a couple of months or years to be a blessing to our children, please contact me.

•        My Book - My book can now be ordered from all over the world. Just click on the link on the left side.

•        Personal Travel Assistant - Email me if you're young, female and single and are interested in this great learning experience of traveling with me.

Two are better than one... Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecc 4:9a.11-12)

To HIM alone be the glory,

Claudia