ethiopia letter july09 tesfa

8/14/2019 Ethiopia Letter July09 Tesfa

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Thankyouforyourinvolvementinour

lives.Wedlovetohaveyourpartner

withusaswepartnerwithGodin

extendinghishopetopeoplewhom

HeiscrazyaboutinAddisAbaba,

Ethiopia.Wedloveitifyouwould

prayerfullyconsiderpartneringwithus

throughyourprayersandalsoyour

financialsupportasweenterina

crossculturalmission.

Thankyou!Jerry,Christy,Joshua,Micah,Caia&Hanna

Wewantedtoletyouknowaboutanewadventurethatourfamilyis

embarkingonandaskyoutoconsiderpartneringwithus.Overthe

years,youhaveprovidedasupporttousasindividualsandasafamily

asourfriends,ourfamilyandourcolleagues,andwearegratefulthat

wenowfindourselvesatthiscurrentplaceinourlivesasaresultofthe

investmentofpeoplesuchasyourself.

Overthepastseveralmonthsourfamilyhasbeensensingaleading

fromGodtomovetoEthiopiatoplantanEnglishspeakingchurchwhic

couldbecomealaunchpadformanymorechurchestobeplantedby

nationals.Thisjourneyhasbeenincredibleandinmanywayshasfelt

asifwehavebeenridingawaveinwhichGodhasbeenopeningup

opportunities,providingnetworkingandbringingclaritytousalongthe

way.Ifyouwouldliketohearmoreofthespecificsofthisjourney,

pleasecheckoutourstoryatwww.theshannonfamily.com.

So,aftermuchprayerourplanistoridourselvesofmostofourearthlypossessionsthisOctoberandmoveourfamilytoAddisAbaba,Ethiopia

foratleasta2to3yearperiodwiththeintentofplantingachurchas

wellasprovidingtrainingandequippingfornationalpastors.Thelong

termaimincooperationwiththeVineyardEthiopiaPartnershipwillbet

somedayseeanationalled,self-sustainingchurchplantingmovement

withinEthiopia.(Formoreinfoonpartnerships,pleasecheckout

www.vineyardmissions.org).WeareconvincedthatGodsKingdomwi

advanceinEthiopiathroughstronglocalchurchesbecoming

communitiesofhopeforpeoplewhohaveverylittletangiblehope.We

feelhonoredandhumbledtogettoplayapartalongtheway.

Wouldyoualsoconsiderplayingapart?Inordertoseethisdream

cometofruitionweneedfolkssuchasyourselfwhoarewillingtopartn

withusinprayer.Therewillbeobstacles,asteeplearningcurve,and

theneedforGodtomove.Wouldyoupartnerwithusinprayer?

Asecondneedisfinancialsupport.Theupfrontcostsforourfamilyto

movetoEthiopiaandgetsettledinitiallywillbeupwardsof$10,000US

ThesecostsincludeourflightstoEthiopiaandthefactthatwewill---->

WELCOME TO OUR NEW ADVENTURE!

P A R T N E R W I T H U S A S W E W O R K T O E X T E N D H O P E I N E T H I O P I A

The Shannons 1153 Letort Road, Conestoga, PA 17516 www.theshannonfamily.com [email protected]
http://www.theshannonfamily.com/http://www.vineyardmissions.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.theshannonfamily.com/http://www.theshannonfamily.com/http://www.vineyardmissions.org/http://www.vineyardmissions.org/http://www.theshannonfamily.com/http://www.theshannonfamily.com/


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probablyhavetopay6monthsofrentupfront.Weare

estimatingourmonthlylivingexpensestobe$3,200permonth

and$540permonthinministryexpenses.Weveincludeda

preliminarybudgetforyourconsideration.Afewmonthsafter

arrivingtherewewillalsoneedtofindareliablevehicle.This

expensealonecouldcostusupwardsof$20,000becauseofa

150%dutywhichhastobepaidonallcars.(Wevebeenquoted$20,000fora

20yearoldLandRover,sincevehiclevaluesdonotdepreciate).

Wouldyouconsidersupportingourfamilyoverthenext3years,eitherthrougha

onetimegiftorthroughmonthlygiving?Whilethenumberscanseemlarge,the

truthisthatanyamountyoucommittowillgoalongway,especiallyifyoucould

givemonthly.Weunderstandthatthecurrenteconomicsituationcanseem

scary,butifyoufindyourselfable,wouldyouconsidersupportingusmonthlyat

$25,$50oreven$100permonth?Ifwehad37friendsorchurcheswillingto

supportusat$100/month(or74at$50/month),wewouldbeatfullsupport.

Weveincludedaresponsecardinthisletterforyourconsideration.Wedlove

tohaveyoupartnerinprayingforus.Wellhavewaystocommunicateneedsto

youalongtheway.Ifyoualsofindyourselfinapositionwhereyoucangive

financially,youllalsoseeaplacewhereyoucanmakeapledge.

Pleasetakeafewmomentstocheckourourwebsiteat

www.theshannonfamily.com.ThereyoullfindsomeinformationaboutEthiopia,ourfamily,ourprayerneeds,

ourdreamsandtheVineyardEthiopiaPartnership.

Thankyouforbeingsomeonewhohasplayedapartinus

findingourselvesatthispointinlife.Welookforwardto

partneringtogether!

Love,

Jerry,Christy,Joshua,Micah,Caia,&Hanna

P.S.Yoursupportistaxdeductible.Pleasemakeyour

checkpayabletoLancasterVineyardChurchandmarkinthememoline,Ethiopia,(butdontputournames

onthecheck)andsendittoLancasterVineyardChurch,Attn:Ethiopia,POBox6101,Lancaster,PA17607

- PleaseprayforourtransitionfromourroleaspastorofLVCaswellasourentryintoanewseasonoflearning- PleaseprayforTheLordsprotectionoverthepartnership,nationalleadersandourfamily.

- PleaseprayforEthiopians&fortheconnectionswehavethereaswellasthosewehaveyettomake.

- Pleaseprayforthefinancesforthismission.

Read our story, stay connected orlearn more about Ethiopia at our

website:

www.theshannonfamily.com

Your monthly financialpartnership with us of$25, $50 or even

$100/month makes adifference by funding

the planting of achurch which

embraces Kingdomvalues in Ethiopia and

acts as a catalyst forfuture church plantingby nationals.

OUR COMMITMENTTO OUR PARTNERS

Because we are asking people to partner with us andnot simply support us, we commit to our partners to

1. Communicate with you through newsletters,website, emails status updates as well as prayerrequests and needs.

2. Facilitate a bridge between you and Ethiopians.3. Pray for you monthly.
http://www.theshannonfamily.com/http://www.theshannonfamily.com/http://www.theshannonfamily.com/http://www.theshannonfamily.com/


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contact us:The Shannons1153 Letort RoadConestoga, PA 17516

phone: 717.842.4454email: [email protected]:www.theshannonfamily.comfacebook: jerry shannon or christy shannonfacebook cause: mission to ethiopia - the shannon family

Insurance $200

Medical Expenses $100

Family Time Away $50

Return Fund (will have enough for airfare at 24 mths) $220

Housing $700

Food $200

Tithe $320

Transportation $250

Furnishings, Purchases, Clothing Misc. $175

Taxes $225

Language Acquisition $200

Household / Childcare Expenses $80

Utlitlies $125

Unexpected $100

Visa / Residency Expenses $50

Meals $30

Home School Materials $150

Personal Monthly Total $3,175

Ministry Expenses Monthly

Computer Fund (replace every 3 years) $40

In Country Transportation $100Compassion $100

Outreach $100

Administration $150

Conferences / Materials $50

Ministry Monthly Total $540

Total Monthly Expenses (personal & ministry) $3,715

Airfare $5,000

Visas $500

6 months of rent paid upfront $4,200

Furnishings* $1,500

Car** $20,000

Total Up Front Costs $31,200

* We believe that well be able to get amostly furnished apartment / house forthe cost above

**A car will not be an immediate necessithowever it will serve us well to have one the long run.

Contributions can be sent to:

Lancaster Vineyard Church

Attn: Ethiopia

PO Box 6101

Lancaster, PA 17607

please make checks payable toLancaster Vineyard Church. Donot put our name on the check,rather put Ethiopia in the memline.

An envelope is enclosed for yourconvenience
http://www.theshannonfamily.com/http://www.theshannonfamily.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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ETHIOPIAFAST FACTS- Ethiopia is one of only 2 African nations never to be successfully colonized. They were

briefly occupied by the Italians under Mussolini from 1936 - 1941.

- The capital city of Ethiopia - Addis Ababa - has over 4 million residents. This busy city

almost didnt survive in the early 1900s because of a lack of firewood.- Ethiopia presently has over 5 million orphans and only 3 doctors per 100,000 people. (by

comparison, Pennsylvania has 297 doctors per 100,000 people).

- Within Ethiopia, there are over 80 languages and 200 dialects.

- Ethiopias national language, Amharic, is a Semitic language with 231 characters.

- Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and continues to export some of the finest coffee,

especially from the Harar and Sidamo regions.

- Addis Ababa is considered the diplomatic crossroads of Africa with a major United Nationsheadquarters located there, as well as the African Union.

- Ethiopian cuisine (various stews made from chicken, beef, or lentils) is not eaten with

silverware; rather, a flat bread (similar to a pancake in consistency) is used to eat with.

- Ethiopia has a rich cultural history, including the Ethiopian Orthodox Church which dates

back to the 4th Century.

- 34% of Ethiopians practice Islam.

- Ethiopians dominate long distance running on a world level. Haile Gebraselassie in 2008once again set the world record in the marathon in Berlin with a time of 2:03:59.

- Ethiopia is Africas second most populous country with 77 million people.

- Since March, there have been national blackouts because of a lack of hydroelectricity. These

blackouts have been known to last 8 - 12 hours at a time.

- The average yearly income in Ethiopia is $160.

ethiopia letter july09 tesfa

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